Casque Wines

First Vintage: 2006

Owned by: Kevin and Ann Stevenson; Mark and Tina Breunig

Winemaker: Kevin Stevenson, with assistance from Cellar Master and Consulting Winemaker Ryan Taylor, winemaker for Mt. Vernon Winery near Auburn.

Viticulturist: Casque purchases most of the grapes it uses for wine production, sourcing fruit from notable vineyards in Amador and Placer Counties. Kevin manages 17 acres of cabernet franc vines in the vineyard community of Clos du Lac in Loomis, CA—where he resides—and grapes grown there are used by Casque.

Tasting Room/ Estate: Casque is a “virtual winery,” and it has no winery or vineyards. Its wines are produced, barreled and bottled at Mt. Vernon Winery. Its wines are sold via the winery web site, and they are available at restaurants and wine shops in Auburn, Sacramento region and the Bay Area. All of the Casque wines are available for purchase at Carpe Vino and on our web site.

Events: Since it does not operate a brick and mortar facility, Casque is very aggressive in holding special events and tastings. Check the winery web site for updates.

Grapes Cultivated: Cabernet Franc

Wines Produced: Calotte (a white Rhone blend), Roussanne, Viognier, Cabernet Franc and Syrah
Cases Produced Annually: 600

The Casque crew is at your service: left, Ann and Kevin Stevenson; left, Tina and Mark Bruenig.

Notable Features: All of the principals involved in Casque have long experience in the corporate world, and that fact is clear across the board—in marketing materials, events, packaging and sales. The folks at Casque don’t leave anything to chance and every phase of the operation is handled with a high level of professionalism.

Contact & Visit:

No public tasting room
(916) 660-9671
tina@casquewines.com
www.casquewines.com

Gary’s Comments:

casque wines “Casque” is one of those winery names you have to explain. It is a reference to the helmet worn by French soldiers that was designed just before the start of World War I. I don’t have a clue about how this brand connects to wine, but the folks at Casque proved early on that they know what they are doing in the winery.

With their very first entry ever—the prestigious 2009 San Francisco Chronicle Wine Competition—the winery’s 2007 Calotte Blanc (a blend of marsanne, roussanne, viognier and vermentino) won best of class for “Rhone other wine varietals and blends.” The Chronicle event is the largest tasting of American wines, so this win is a very big deal, indeed.

Mark Bruenig, left and Ryan Taylor, winemaker at Mt. Vernon Winery and consultant for Casque, joined by a bottle of the good stuff.

The fact that Casque operates on a “virtual” basis has many upsides. Winemaker Kevin Stevenson sources the best grapes he can locate; he collaborates with a very talented and experienced winery in Mt. Vernon; and the operation is not burdened with the expense and maintenance of its own brick and mortar facility.

Casque launched its 2008 white wines at Carpe Vino, and the place was jammed with more than 150 Casque fans. Folks raved about the wines, and they really appreciate the reds. Time will tell if the 2008 Calotte will achieve the same success as its predecessor vintage, but there is no question that Casque is on a fast track.