Jackie stomps the grapes (to the tune of Hank Williams) which allows us to juice the grapes resulting in more concentration and texture in the wine…

When I was a kid, I remember my Dad and Uncle biting into fresh, vine-ripe tomatoes at lunch time and discussing what they liked about one varietal over another. They […]

I Am Blaming It On The Coyotes:
I haven’t blogged in a while. Sheer exhaustion. The realities of harvest have set in……little sleep, edgy winemakers and vineyard owners, rain, and now Coyotes.
One of the critical activities leading up to the actual day of harvest is irrigation management. It is the main tool we use to try […]

Chelsea, Glenn, Dave and Amos at Kick Ranch
Farming decisions in a high end vineyard focused on quality wines are difficult to make. There are so many non-controllable variables. Will we have a warm or cold spring, a late spring frost, no spring rain, a lot of spring rain, will the summer be hot, cool……who knows.
We […]

SANGLIER CELLARS OCTOBER RELEASE
Releasing new wines is an exciting time, but also slightly troubling, if like me, you have tendencies toward paranoia and obsessive compulsion disorder. Not that these traits flare up often, but when you compress the pressures of harvesting for some of the best winemakers in the world, making your own wine, and […]

Wednesday was busy, but not stupid busy. Of course Dave, Armando, Paco and a few others might disagree since they pulled most of the load that day. But for me, things almost seemed normal.
So what happens when you get a normal work day in the middle of silly season? You eat and drink of […]

Labor Day….. or for us Grapegrowers Labor “Dazed”
Labor Day seems to be the annual catalyst for moving the harvest season into overdrive and this year is no exception. Sunday was spent planning for a full day in the vineyards “laboring”. At dawn Monday morning, we had three crews on site at Vicini, Cattalini, and (moving […]

Expressing a Sense of Place……Terroir for you Francophiles
Many of our winemakers, no let’s be blunt, all of our winemakers think their grapes are the most important and we are supposed to harvest them exactly when they request and deliver them to the winery within their time parameters. It is not an unfair request. We are […]

Christina, Glenn, and Brian enjoying dinner on the patio
Yesterday we started picking at 2 AM, we were still moving equipment at 7PM and we started picking again at 2 AM this morning. Not much time to write a daily blog, (these two days are combined) but a great need for caffeine.
Currently I am drinking Flying […]

A Philosophy to Harvest By
I have decided to make every effort during the harvest season to enjoy coffee with real flavor, eat great food when possible, and drink the best wines. If you are wondering how this is different than the rest of my year, it isn’t.
2nd Breakfast
Several comments on the blog have referenced my […]

Another 5 AM morning, but that is an easy start time compared to what is coming with the night picks. My day started with coffee as usual. This morning it is my standby…..Peet’s Major Dickason’s blend. Certainly a darker roast than the Blue Bottle, but it gets me going and I like it.
Breakfast does suffer […]