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Crux Winery is proud to support the rebuilding of the Anova Center of Education after the school was burnt down in the Tubbs Fire in 2017. We are forever grateful to our friends and family who have contributed along the way, in any way. If you can, we’d appreciate your continued support.

Heidi Adler, who is the Crux in-house photographer and wife to Brian, Crux Partner and GM, has been at Anova for 16-years, the last 15 years of which as the School Director (aka Principle). As a Licensed Educational Psychologist, Heidi has a deep passion for supporting students on the Autism spectrum and other related disorders — a commitment she has upheld over her 30+ year career.

How the Tubbs Fire Affected Anova Staff and Students

On the morning of Monday, October 9th 2017, Brian and Heidi were startled awake around 3am by howling winds, the smell of smoke, and a view of flames on the eastern ridgetops. Over the next few hours the reality of the situation became more clear. In just over 6 hours, a massive fire had raged from the western slopes of Calistoga, over the Mayacamas Mountains and down into Santa Rosa. In its path and over its 23 day existence, the Tubbs fire killed at least 22 people, destroyed or damaged 0ver 6,500 buildings, and burnt over 36,000 acres. Early that morning on Oct 9th, the fire destroyed Anova and the brand new play structure that had been delivered only the week prior.

The school was closed for 3 weeks while Heidi and her team crafted a re-opening plan and dealt with the ongoing fires in the area. It took Heidi’s strong network and hours of work for the school to be able to reopen at the same time as local schools that hadn’t burned down. They had to divide the students and staff into 3 locations, but the school was in session and the kids were showing their resilience.

Since February 2018, Anova’s 150+ students have been learning in portable classrooms in a parking lot of Luther Burbank Center across from where their school once stood. Last year, in October of 2023, six years after the Tubbs Fire, construction finally began at the Anova Center of Education, thanks to community fundraising and hard efforts.

Rebuilding the Anova Center for Education

In a recent interview for the Windsor Connection, Heidi says, “We envision the rebuilt Anova Center for Education playing a pivotal role in the larger community. With expanded facilities, we’ll have the capacity to serve more students, continuing our vital mission of improving the lives of our students, their families, and the communities they are part of. Our goal is to enhance our impact and provide even more support and opportunities for neuro-divergent individuals to thrive and contribute positively to society. It’s about ensuring our students have access to a campus that offers the same opportunities as any public-school campus. They deserve a school environment specifically designed to meet their unique needs and fully support their growth and development. This rebuilding project represents a commitment to providing our students with the resources and facilities they deserve, enhancing their educational experience, and empowering them to succeed in their own unique ways.”

After 7 years of blood, sweat, and tears, Anova is finally ready to rise from the ashes, like the mythical Phoenix, and house students in a home they deserve. In 2025, the Anova faculty and staff, led by Heidi, will finally occupy a school campus that comes close to matching the quality of the people inside.

Crux and our customers have played a big role in fundraising through the purchase of our limited edition 2017 Anova Phoenix Pinot Noir in Magnum.  The school still needs help to achieve its goal and we would like to ask for your help.

Ways you can Help:

Donate directly to the Anova Capital Campaign

Purchase a Magnum of ‘The Phoenix’ Pinot Noir – all proceeds go to the Anova Capital Campaign and you get a lovely Mangum of Pinot Noir.

Anyone who purchases a bottle of The Phoenix or donates $250 or more to the Capital Campaign will be invited to a special Grand Opening Celebration hosted by Crux Winery. For donations made directly to the Capital Campaign, please list Heidi Adler or Crux Winery as the H0naree, so we know to invite you. Thank you, from the bottom of our hearts!

Find Crux around town!

1. Valette Healdsburg, Sea Thai Bistro and Baci Cafe and Wine Bar.
2. The Gold Medal Wine Club features Crux Winery in their newsletter and offers our Syrah to their exclusive Platinum Club.
3. Crux was featured by Wine Business Monthly in their summary of the most recent Garagiste Festival in Sonoma.  Feb 2020
4. Elizabeth Schneider, the amazingly talented and entertaining host of Wine for Normal People podcast, talks to Steve and Brian about Crux, how it all began and what makes it so special.
5. Napa Food and Vine writes about their recent visit to Crux.
6. See what The Insatiable Vine has to say about our 2014 Viognier.
7. Crux at the Ball Park – Crux continues it’s partnership with the San Francisco Giants for several pourings throughout the 2017 season. See our Upcoming Events page for more details. Crux wines are available throughout the season in the Field Club and at the Gotham Club.
8. SF Chronicle Wine Editor and Social Media Darling, Stacy Briscoe, writes about her Nov 2016 visit to Crux.
9. Read Vino Voyager’s October 2016 blog post about Crux.
10. 2014 Viognier earns a Gold Medal (90 Points) from the 2016 North Coast Wine Challenge.
11. Crux wines garner 3 medals at the 2016 SF Chronicle Wine Competition. Our 2012 Petite Sirah earned a gold, while our 2012 Syrah and 2014 Viognier took home silvers.  Stop in and try them before their claimed to someone else’s cellar.
12. Crux 2012 Syrah – per the Press Democrat (Sept 2015) ‘Gorgeous Syrah with bold, black fruit, toast and a great underpinning of spice. Tannins are firm and in check. It’s robust but not overwhelmingly so. Good bones (structure). Lingering finish. Top rate.’
13. Crux 2014 GSM Rose is a Top Pick according to the Press Democrat (August 2015).
14. Chase your dreams – Crux featured in Peg Melnik’s Tasting Room Blog.
15. 2012 Petite Sirah – 93 Points and a Gold Medal from the North Coast Wine Challenge.  NCWC Winners
16. Crux’s 2012 GSM and Grenache were both rated 91 (Excellent – Highly Recommended) by Wine Enthusiast.  Crux WE Scores
17. NorthBay Biz Magazine highlights independant wine makers including Crux Winery – Check it out.
18. Santa Rosa’s Press Democrat highlights Crux 2012 Grenache and 2012 GSM.  We agree they are delicious – Read all about it.
19. Crux Grenache is called out as the standout wine at the Rhone Rangers Grand Tasting in Los Angeles – See for yourself.
20. Crux Winery pours at the Pacific Coast Air Museum’s Mustang Round-up Gala Fundraiser – See our picture.

Here is the list of available wines:

NEW RELEASES – these wines are drinkable upon release although have plenty of aging potential. Our wines are unfiltered to preserve aromatics and fresh flavors. As a result, natural sediment may develop in the bottle.

2018 Viognier ($30) – COMING SOON!

2017 Syrah ($40) – COMING SOON!

2017 Petite Sirah ($45) – COMING SOON!

CURRENT RELEASES – these wines are drinkable upon release although have plenty of aging potential. Our wines are unfiltered to preserve aromatics and fresh flavors. As a result, natural sediment may develop in the bottle.

2018 Grenache Blanc ($30) – Our Grenache Blanc is sourced from Catie’s Corner Vineyard in the Russian River Valley, possibly the only Grenache Blanc in the AVA. The aroma of orange blossoms is complemented by flavors of green apple and peach. It has bright natural acidity with a lingering finish. Our wines are unfiltered to preserve aromatics and fresh flavor.  As a result, natural sediment may develop in the bottle.

2015 SBV ($26) – Our 2015 Sauvignon Blanc is blended with Viognier for added complexity.  The result is an aromatic wine with crisp, clean flavors of ripe pear and a touch of wet stone.  This wine is a perfect choice for warm summer days and lighter foods.  Our wines are unfiltered to preserve aromatics and fresh flavor.  As a result, natural sediment may develop in the bottle.

2017 Viognier ($30) -The silky texture of our Viognier has rich flavors of stone fruit and honey with hints of preserved lemon.  We blend in a small amount of Grenache Blanc for the acidity and structure this varietal provides.  Our wines are unfiltered to preserve aromatics and fresh flavor.  As a result, natural sediment may develop in the bottle.

2019 GSM Rose ($24) –  Our 2019 Rosé is a saignée style wine from each component of our GSM red wine. The Grenache dominates the nose with fresh strawberry aromas. The Syrah and Mourvedre bring cherries, watermelon rind, and a little black pepper to the mix. Versatile when paired with food, this fun wine is also great on its own. Our wines are unfiltered to preserve aromatics and fresh flavor. As a result, natural sediment may develop in the bottle.

2017 Grenache ($45) – We love the aromatics of Russian River Valley Grenache. While it has the classic strawberry nose, herbs and forest floor aromas combine for a fragrant bouquet. We added small amounts of Syrah and Mourvedre for weight and spice to go with the fresh and lively Grenache flavors. It was aged in neutral cooperage to preserve its natural flavors with minimal handling from harvest to bottle.

2017 GSM ($45) – We blend our GSM wine based on the characteristics of each varietal in the give year. Our 2017 GSM red blend has more Grenache and a little less Syrah than years past to balance the power of a warm season. We brought in a little Petite Sirah in for texture and tannin. This wine is our version of an Old World southern Rhone wine made with beautiful New World fruit. It is very versatile to pair with food; our favorites are duck and lamb. This wine will drink well on release and to age gracefully past 2024.

2016 Syrah ($40) – 2016 was the last year in a string of long, warm, and dry vintages in the Russian River Valley. Even in warm years, the AVA’s climate allows for extended hang time that increases our Syrah’s complexity and balance without over-ripening.  Our 2016 Syrah is a big, rich wine with the balance and grace typical of Russian River fruit. We used 20% new French oak with the remaining in neutral cooperage.  A little Mourvedre and Petite Sirah add complexity and length. This wine will age for a very long time (10 years or more) in the cellar, if you are able to resist.

2016 Petite Sirah ($45) – Our Petite Sirah has blackberry fruit on the nose and the palate, which is typical for this varietal. We like a little Zinfandel and Syrah in the blend to make it more approachable at a younger age. As usual, it’s a big, tannic wine that will last for a very long time yet has a smooth, lush mouth feel that keeps you coming back for more. This wine pairs very well with roasted meats or all by itself.

2016 Zinfandel ($40) – Our Russian River Valley Zinfandel vineyards thrive in our cooler region, which promotes long hang time and even ripening, which is unusual for Zinfandel. In 2016, we combined our estate vineyard Zinfandel with a local old vine vineyard planted in the 1950’s. The bright, red fruit from our home vineyard is accompanied by power and depth of flavor unique to old vine Zinfandels. We love the collaboration and hope you do too.

MAGNUMS – A very few magnums of our red Rhone varietals are bottled each year.  These typically sell out to members of the Crux Wine Club.  Please contact us at info@cruxwinery.com for more details.

LIBRARY WINES – We do have a limited supply of prior vintages of some of our wines. These wines have a little extra age to them and many years of great drinking ahead.  Please contact us at info@cruxwinery.com for more details.

Crux can now ship to most states.  Please click here to purchase wines for shipping outside California.