Scenes From an Autumn Harvest 2012

 

Just yesterday we pressed the last of our wines for the year. All that is left is the marc for the grappa....which we won't do for a while yet. Many of the first of the wines were racked and put into oak. At the high point of the season, the crush pad was chocked with barrels, totes, presses, destemmers, hoses, and everything else. Stepping from one spot to another was almost impossible. And water was everywhere. After yesterday, many of the stories are behind us.

 

 

The year began with an early and turbulent spring (remember 90 degrees in March and frost in April?), and ended hot and dry...and three to four weeks early. Instead of taking a vacation on Labor Day weekend, we were harvesting. This harvest came in fast and furious. And it should be one for the record books.

 

 

We want to take this time to say thank you to friends, family, neighbors, and staffers all of whome contributed to this incredible Herculean effort that it takes each year to get each vintage into the barn. It's a lot of back-breaking work. It's a lot of monotony. And in the end, it's a lot of fun!

 

Long hours. Lot's of sweat. Big lunches. Lots of laughs.

 

And it's also great to see our sons, and their friends, growing up and making a very, very valuable contribution to the farm - yes, sometimes against their will - but it is very much valued, and very much appreciated.

Again, we want to thank everyone, pictured here or not. Thanks for a great 2012 harvest. The wines promise to be fantastic. You can come next year to try the 2012s, but of course, in the next few weeks, you can try a whole lot of 2011s!!!!

Come on down!!!!