Blogs

February, 2016

Toccata - A Little Bit of Dust from the Dirtman

There’s nothing like a farmer starting off with a weather report! We’ve reached the point that to go forward we need an abundance of rain for the next sixty days. We have a good start.

We started pruning in early December. It takes 35 workers about 90 days to prune our vineyards. It is one of the most tedious jobs that we do. Selection of the proper canes and spurs will determine what kind and what size of crop we have.

December, 2015

Toccata - A Little Bit of Dust from the Dirtman

I am very thankful for the half a crop that I got this year! It could have been less. Really, we have much to be thankful for. I think we all seem to take too many things for granted.

November, 2015

From the Ground Up

This harvest started the first week of August and ended the second week of October - the earliest start and finish in my 43 years of harvesting grapes in Santa Barbara County. One consolation is that we will have had time to prepare for the Harvest Party. Things should be in great shape to enjoy the festivities.

October, 2015

Toccata - A Little Bit of Dust from the Dirtman

I love baseball. I played catcher in school and my idol was the late Yogi Berra, whose famous saying was “It ain’t over ‘til it’s over.” And our 2015 crop is over!

September, 2015

From the Ground Up

Harvest is well underway and a couple of weeks earlier than ever before. Our yields in some varieties, like Pinot Noir and Pinot Grigio, are unbelieveably low. Both bunch size and berry size are small. This situation is statewide, especially in the coastal regions. Everyone is questioning why.

August, 2015

Toccata - A Little Bit of Dust from the Dirtman

Believe it or not, we will be picking grapes probably by the 10th. Our first pick will most likely be Pinot Grigio from Santa Maria which will go to Toccata. Our Pinot Grigio crop in Santa Maria is excellent but in Los Alamos, about 1/3 of the crop did not develop. The resulting loss is over 75 tons of fruit.

July, 2015

From the Ground Up

We are at the beginning of what could be our earliest season yet. Little rain and warm weather have pushed the grapes early. Of course, now that they’re out about a foot, we are spending our nights watching for frost. Fortunately, each night has been borderline, but we did need to be there in case temperatures dropped near daybreak. We’re really just babysitters of the vineyard.

June, 2015

Toccata - A Little Bit of Dust from the Dirtman

Just returned from a wonderful trip to Bordeaux, France. It was a great experience to see some of the finest vineyards in the world. We were accompanied by the nicest people you could ever meet. When you think of Bordeaux, you think of Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon but Merlot really dominates with over 60% of all the plantings. As a grape grower, I was surprised at how cool and wet it can be. I’m always amazed at the variety of conditions under which people can grow grapes. I was impressed with the care given to their vines and with the 500 years of history.