We’re well into harvest.  Over the past 40 years, very seldom have we picked grapes in August.  This is the year.  Our crop is about three weeks earlier than normal due to the weather, our previous crop, fruit set, berry sizing, and vines wanting to mature early.  We have finished picking five varieties and are this week picking Pinot Noir, the variety we have the most of.  One of the issues that is making this year a bit different is that some of the varieties are maturing out of their normal sequence.  For example, one block of Sauvignon Blanc in Los Alamos had never been picked before the 23rd of September.  This year we picked it the last week of August.