Get Ready to Get Splashed
Jul 10, 2018
2006 The Beginning
It all began with one varietal, Cabernet, and the vision to produce one of the best under $20 for the U.S. market. Coupling co-Founder Dennis Hills’ winemaking expertise, grower relationships, and keen sourcing knowledge, and Founder Yoav Gilat’s business acumen, natural networking and vision, Cannonball Wines was born.
2012 We Met Astrolabe Wines from New Zealand
At a fateful meeting arranged by our Toronto agent and partner, Harris Davidson of Rogers & Company, Cannonball and Astrolabe Wines fell in love at first sight. Fall 2012, Cannonball became the exclusive U.S. agent for highly acclaimed Astrolabe Wines from New Zealand.
2014 The Launch of Beloved Angels & Cowboys
Angels & Cowboys is a collaboration with award-winning (and our label) graphic designer, Michael Schwab. Michael’s artwork, the name, and our vision for the style of wine were components that organically came together. The initial plan was to produce a Zinfandel – based Sonoma County Proprietary Red label only, but our love for Rosé inspired us.
2016 Making a Splash with High Dive Napa Valley
High Dive marks Share a Splash wine co.’s first entry into the Napa Valley, luxury wine market. High Dive began in 2014 as an adventurous collaboration between Share a Splash wine co. Founder Yoav Gilat and winemakers Peter Heitz (Turnbull Wine Cellars) and Scott Palazzo (Palazzo Wines). The winemaking dream team set out to craft an elegant, proprietary red that would showcase the best of Napa’s terroir, with classic restraint, and is an homage to the classic Napa Valley blends of the 1970s.
2016 SHARE A SPLASH wine co. is Born
After ten years of conceiving new projects and partnerships, it was time to bring in a parent for all our brands. Share a Splash wine co. is our portfolio brand name. We are passionate about offering wines we believe in and are committed to innovation and authenticity on every level of our business.
QUICK GUIDE TO FOUR BRANDS TO DIVE INTO
CANNONBALL – symbol of your inner child
Founded in 2006, Cannonball is our first born. Cannonball Wines are a pure expression of the varietal, progressive winemaking perfected with evocative, award – winning label design. Based in Healdsburg, California, Sonoma County is the backbone for all Cannonball Wines. State of the art winemaking technology ensures uncompromising quality. The Cannonball icon is the perfect symbol of freedom, legs tucked beneath you, soaring through the air – that uninhibited spirit is the soul of Cannonball Wines.
Elegant and expressive. An exciting revival of a classic style. Our Cabernet has the best characteristics of traditional California and old world Bordeaux.
Intense fruit aromas of black cherry, plum accented by vanilla, caramel and rich toasted oak. Full on the palate with good concentration and considerable structure on the finish.
Enticing and impressive. We source our Merlot from foggy Monterey to gravelly Livermore, sunny Paso Robles to mountainous Santa Lucia Highlands in pursuit of bright fruit flavors, supple easy tannins and alluring acidity to craft our final blend.
Aromas of fresh huckleberry, pomegranate and nuances of toasty oak. Medium-full bodied with classic Bordeaux proportions, wonderful concentration with juicy flavors of raspberry, ripe plum and baking spices with a long, lingering finish.
Lush and expressive. We’ve crafted a Chardonnay that we believe offers something a little different – balance.
Quintessential Cannonball Chardonnay style! Flavors of poached pear, lemon curd, yellow plum, and toasted almond.
Vibrant and refreshing. At Cannonball we love Sauvignon Blanc for all of its freshness, zest and food compatibility.
Seductive aromas of tangerine, honeysuckle and soft mineral. Bright crisp acidity with flavors of papaya, honeydew melon and white peach. Great texture and a long, clean finish.
ANGELS & COWBOYS – trailblazers and rulebreakers
The Angels & Cowboys journey began with a sentimental namesake, a bold, mysterious icon and an appreciation for down to earth wines. These elements drove the vision to create wines that indulge the lover, the trailblazer and the rule breaker in all of us. Angels & Cowboys wines are hand crafted, Sonoma County proprietary blends. Our winemaking team draws on traditional and progressive methods to create wines that deliver a stand out style.
Richly concentrated, juicy and dense with ripe dark cherry, accentuated by nuances of warm spice and dark chocolate. A lengthy, generous, decadent finish.
“Dry, refreshing, and lively with bright, crisp acidity; a first -class rosé at an excellent price.” 91pts Tasting Panel
ASTROLABE – pure marlborough
Founded in 1996 and named after the ship that in 1827 charted and explored the Marlborough Coast, Astrolabe wines were created by seasoned winemaker Simon Waghorn together with his wife Jane. Simon crafts a range of beautiful wines that express the purity and intensity of fruit flavors afforded by the climate and soils of the Marlborough region. All grapes are sourced from ten families who live on their land and farm sustainably. These carefully chosen sites add complexity and completeness in the wines. Simon is fascinated by the distinctive qualities of the Marlborough sub-regions. He led the way in the movement towards Marlborough geographical indicators and recognition of the diversity of the sub-regions. Whether bottled alone or blended as part of the Marlborough classic all Simon’s skill and experience combine to capture the essence of Marlborough.
“Vibrant, intense and effusive, showing aromas of honeysuckle, lemon verbena and makrut lime that mingle with ruby grapefruit and tangerine notes. The acidity is forward and lip-smacking.” 90pts Wine Spectator
Pure, focused wine with a delicacy of structure, finishing crisp and dry. Stonefruit and pear flavors dominate.
“Impressive for the linear, focused beam of cherry, cranberry and Earl Grey tea notes, with white pepper and dried rose petal accents. The sleek body and spicy, lingering finish make this memorable.” 92pts Wine Spectator; 91pts James Suckling
The Chenin Blanc is partially barrel fermented with wild yeast for complexity and with the remainder in stainless steel to preserve the fruit flavours. All fruit is free-run to retain the purity of the fruit.
Aromas of apples and honeysuckle with lemon-honey and a little vanilla from the oak. Medium bodied with a minerally length and flavours of crisp apple, lemon and peach.
The fruit was handpicked at 24.4 Brix, whole cluster pressed, and only the cuvee juice retained for fermentation in old barrels. The combination of wild yeast, fermentation on light grape solids and lees stirring has added texture and interesting complexity to the nose. The delicate fruit handling has given the wine a racy and crisp structure.
Aromas of fresh-cut passionfruit, lime curd, currant leaf and citrus zest. Powerful passionfruit, guava and limoncello flavours, and a chalky, mineral texture.
“Vibrant and mouthwatering, with generous flavors of Key lime pie, fleshy green papaya and savory roasted herb. Focused and intense on the long, refreshing finish.” 92pts Wine Spectator; 90pts Wine Advocate
The fruit was machine harvested in cool conditions, de-stemmed and lightly pressed with minimal skin contact. Clear, cold-settled juice was fermented in stainless steel vats at low temperatures and using neutral wine yeast strains to allow the powerful fruit flavours to dominate. A small portion (one sixth) of hand-picked, high solids and wild barrel ferment wine was blended in to add subtle texture and complexity.
Aromas of lime rind and pink grapefruit, ripe gooseberries, lemongrass and lemon balm. A full bodied, round, concentrated wine with some green tropical fruit and peach, and a crisp, dry finish.
HIGH DIVE – napa valley
High Dive Napa Valley began in 2014 as an adventurous collaboration between SHARE A SPLASH wine co. Founder Yoav Gilat and winemakers Peter Heitz (Turnbull Wine Cellars) and Scott Palazzo (Palazzo Wines). A ‘Left Bank’ Bordeaux styled blend, High Dive is a proprietary red that is an homage to the classic Napa Valley blends of the 1970s.
The three wine industry friends came together over a shared vision to create a Cabernet blend that would take you to the root of what first made Napa Valley so beloved. Yoav, a long-time admirer and collector of classic California brands like Ridge Vineyards, Diamond Creek Vineyards and Dominus Estate wanted to create his take on a new classic.
The winemaking dream team – Peter, a 4th generation winemaker from Napa that specializes in structured Cabs from Oakville and Scott bringing a ‘Right Bank’ Bordeaux expertise – set out to craft an elegant, proprietary red that would showcase the best of Napa’s terroir, with classic restraint.
“Slate, graphite and tobacco influence the juicy black plum and plum skin tannins. The wonderful acidity allows for food pairing abilities across the board. Pedigreed and elegant.” 95pts Tasting Panel
