Sign in Subscribe

Topic

Pretty Pictures

A collection of 342 issues

Wildflowers in the Vineyard: More Than Just Pretty Faces

By Lauren CrossThanks to the late rainstorms we had recently, it is now wildflower season here at Tablas Creek! One of the many benefits of our organic and biodynamic property is the prolific wildlife that lives symbiotically throughout the vineyard. We leave sections of the vineyard to our native vegetation

A rainy (and not-frosty) March gives hope for the 2014 growing season

As the last raindrops fall from today's minor weather system and we turn toward a warmer forecast for next week, it seems like a good time to assess this spring's conditions so far, and start to look forward to its impact on the 2014 vintage. Today&

Photo of the day: No ice bucket required

I got back yesterday evening from a wonderful weekend in Lake Tahoe: a benefit for the 49ers Foundation, which distributes millions of dollars each year to help keep kids in the Bay Area on track. The event (called the 49ers Foundation Winter Fest) included wine tasting, silent and live auctions,

Photo Essay: The first vineyard hike of spring

By Lauren Cross I couldn't resist hiking through the vineyard today. The sun was warm and bright, there was a slight breeze and the floral smells of spring were intoxicating. The first day of spring is a turning point for the vineyard, a definite end of dormancy, and

Why we're dreading the 2014 frost season

Last week, we saw budbreak in our Grenache, Grenache Blanc and Viognier blocks. This week, it's been joined by most of the other grapes, with only Roussanne and Mourvedre still fully dormant. It won't be more than another week or two before they look like the

After our recent rain, reassessing California's drought

Since last Wednesday, we've received 5.71 inches of glorious rain. It was nicely spread out, starting with two inches the first day, followed by thirteen hundredths the next, then another two inches Friday, another inch Saturday, and finally a half-inch yesterday. That meant it nearly all soaked

Dusk in the Vineyard: Moonrise at Sunset

Followers of the Tablas Creek Facebook page have likely noticed a burst of sunset beauty shots in recent weeks. That's partly a function of the early winter sunsets, when I'm around more often to take photos, but equally a function of the winter weather patterns, with

Photo essay: After the Rain

Yesterday, we got about half an inch of rain. That may not seem like much, but it was most welcome, and along with a similar storm last weekend provided a marked change from the weeks of sun and warmth that preceded them. We're still securely in a serious

Why we're celebrating our frosty mornings

This morning I arrived at the vineyard to find a landscape encased in frost: This was the fourth time in five nights we've gotten down into the teens. The one night we didn't freeze we received about six-tenths of an inch of rain. Between the cold

Winterizing the vineyard as we wait and hope for rain

By Levi Glenn The falling leaves mark the commencement of the “slow time” of the year in the vineyard. Harvest is in the rear-view mirror. All the grapes have been fermented and the wines are resting comfortably in their respective vessels, yet one last series of tasks needs to be