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Veraison 2026 suggests that our earliest-ever harvest is coming, maybe as soon as two weeks

Veraison 2026 suggests that our earliest-ever harvest is coming, maybe as soon as two weeks

We found veraison (color change) in our Syrah on July 9th. That's tied with 2014 for our earliest date ever. But while July 2014 was relatively cool, this year has seen such good ripening conditions that we're expecting to break records.

The Long and Winding Rhône

The Long and Winding Rhône

The Van Gogh Lounge was abuzz with conversation, laughter, and the tinkling of glasses. It was our last night aboard the S.S. Catherine, the Uniworld riverboat we had called home for the last week. What had begun with a ship full of strangers was ending with a room full of friends.

Flowering 2026: early, but not quite as much as we'd feared

Flowering 2026: early, but not quite as much as we'd feared

On April 1st, 2026, we were 34 days ahead of 2025's heat accumulation. But by May 15th we were "just" 20 days ahead. The last six weeks has seen ideal conditions for flowering.

Budbreak 2026 arrives two weeks early... and this week's potential record heat means it will spread fast

Budbreak 2026 arrives two weeks early... and this week's potential record heat means it will spread fast

Every day of the last three weeks has seen highs at least in the upper 60°s F, without a low dropping below the upper 30°s. We've topped 70°F every day for the last week, and 80°F two of the last three days. So it's no surprise that the vines have woken up.

A wet, chilly week gets the 2025-26 winter back on track

A wet, chilly week gets the 2025-26 winter back on track

After a month of warm, sunny weather that stretched from early January to early February, we were starting to wonder if winter was over and we'd have to start worrying about budbreak. Thanks to 6+" of rain in the last week, we're back on track.

Assessing the Lovely Wet Beginning to the 2025-26 Winter

Assessing the Lovely Wet Beginning to the 2025-26 Winter

Five days into January, we've accumulated nearly 16 inches of precipitation, which is 176% of what we'd expect for the winter to date. Just as important to how much rain we've received is how it has fallen: gradually and with breaks in-between.

Paso Robles is Ridiculously Beautiful, Unusual Fall Color Palette Edition

Paso Robles is Ridiculously Beautiful, Unusual Fall Color Palette Edition

The end of this year has provided a different color palette than we're used to in November. Typically, our first frost comes around the same time as our first rain. That means that the grapevines lose their leaves before we get much in the way of green growth. Not this year.

2025 Harvest Recap: the Tortoise Crosses the Finish Line

2025 Harvest Recap: the Tortoise Crosses the Finish Line

Last Tuesday, with small clean-up picks of Grenache, Cinsaut, and Counoise and one recalcitrant lot of Bourboulenc (more on that later) we completed the 2025 harvest. This was the 11th week of harvest, which was our longest in more than two decades and our second-longest ever.

Harvest 2025 draws to a close, interrupted but not derailed by rain

Harvest 2025 draws to a close, interrupted but not derailed by rain

Early Tuesday morning, we brought in Mourvedre from our Scruffy Hill block. Ian got up early to document it, and got some dramatic photos that he shared in our social media feeds, including the below cover photo: With that pick, we have brought in our last substantial block and are

Harvest 2025 at its Midpoint: Hurry Up and Wait

Harvest 2025 at its Midpoint: Hurry Up and Wait

At a time when we're usually at the peak of harvest, we instead spent much of the week in a holding pattern. Early Wednesday morning, a rare thunderstorm rolled through, caused by a cutoff low left behind after the passage of tropical storm Mario last week.