April showers bring May flowers. In the vineyard, April means bud break and a chance of frost. Pruning was finished by mid-March and so now it is time to complete vineyard repairs and get the irrigation systems ready. When the buds begin to open, not all buds open at once. Some varieties are early breakers. Others are slow, and some open late. During bud break, we have to start protecting the new shoots, which means an early spray of copper and sulpher, known as a “Bordeaux spray”, to protect against mildew or any fungus or organisms that may want to get started in the vineyard. Once all the shoots are out, then we have to go through and selectively remove the sucker shoots which come off the old wood so all the energy will be in the fruit-bearing shoots. Grapes will start to flower and bloom by mid-May. At the winery, last year’s wines are taking shape. Some are being prepared for bottling and some of the reds will stay in barrel until next year. We never run out of work to do.

2020 Ramato: A few years ago, no one knew what Ramato was and now it is becoming popular. We were one of the first ones to produce it here. I consider it a blush type wine where we allow a little bit of color from the Pinot Grigio grape. That small amount of skin contact enhances the taste and nose. Serve chilled. Great as a cocktail wine and outstanding with light foods.

2019 Dolcetto: A very prolific grape in the vineyard that tends to want to over crop. We do some cluster removal and, in some cases, if we think the bunch is too large, we cut it in half. It makes a superior wine if you can get the maturity of the grapes above 13% alcohol. It is the every day drinking wine of the Piemonte region. Drinks well young. It kind of reminds me of Pinot Noir with a little more boldness. You will be surprised.

2019 Pinot Noir: Pinot Noir is not foreign to Italy. They do grow some in northern areas. For Toccata, we try to select Pinot for a little more boldness and a little deeper color. Although it is done in an Italian style, it is still a classic Pinot. We make the Toccata Pinot from some of our reserve Pinot grapes.

One of the highlights of the new year was our Wickenburg outing. The weather was a little bit cool but everything else was first-class, especially the people attending. A lot of fun and a lot of new friends. If you need an excuse to come to Solvang, our Summer BBQ will be on Saturday, June 18th in my backyard. Spring is sprung and be safe!meantime, smile and be safe.