Believe it or not, we are within a week of harvest, which will dominate the vineyard and winery activities for the next 8 or 9 weeks. This year’s crop looks normal in size. The lack of winter rains has caused us to run our drip systems longer so we can get water into the lower portion under the vines. The first grapes to be picked will be Pinot Noir for rosé, followed by early Chardonnay and Pinot Grigio.

2022 Sauvignon Blanc: Sauvignon Blanc has become the number two white wine in industry sales. We grow the Sauvignon Blanc in the warm weather of Santa Ynez, but mostly at our vineyard in Los Alamos, where it is cooler, which adds more flavor and complexity to the wine. It also gives us some variation when we pick to the style of wine we want to make. This wine is 100% Los Alamos Vineyard and shows more flavor, more acid, and the distinction of the variety.

2022 Carménère: A “Hidden Gem” according to Wine Enthusiast. I planted it because it was the missing grape of Bordeaux. My conclusion is that it was lost! A unique grape from the family of Cabernet Franc with tremendous color, flavor, and a great nose, but lacking in mouthfeel. The juice tends to be thin, so we co-fermented it with 20% “Clone 6” Cabernet Sauvignon. Co-fermentation is putting the grapes together during fermentation. This gave the needed structure. Big in everything and yet soft. A unique experience and can be drunk young.

2021 Petite Sirah: A lesser-known variety. We were fortunate to acquire our neighbor’s vineyard with 4 acres of this Petite Sirah. It is from a unique clone, one that we cannot find much information on, but it produces exceptional grapes and makes exceptional wine. I refuse to take them out. I interplanted the rows with regular Syrah. The wine is big in everything from color to taste. We were surprised when we tasted some of our aged Petite Sirahs. They were excellent.

Father Michael had a great time splashing everyone with holy water at our Harvest Party and Blessing of the Grapes. He got us all blessed, along with the grapes. We had the chance to taste out of barrels, out of tanks, and out of bottles. Fun time.

Late this month, we will tour the vineyards with 40 of you. We are going later in the year this time so you will get a chance to see ripe grapes just before they are harvested. They will be worth tasting.