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Pretty Pictures

A collection of 353 posts

Syrah/Roussanne Harvest and Co-Fermentation

Each year, one of our favorite Syrah lots in the cellar is one that we co-ferment with Roussanne. We typically blend about 10% Roussanne into Syrah, de-stem the two grapes, and then ferment them together in an open-top tank. The lushness of the mid-palate of Roussanne

Harvest 2007 Begins!

The 2007 harvest is underway. As I've written about this year, we've had a relatively unusual year for weather, with a very cold, dry winter delaying the beginning of budbreak and flowering, and then a remarkably moderate summer, with few days over 100 and no extended

Veraison!

This week, we're seeing the first signs of veraison in the vineyard. This means the clock is ticking... we figure on an average of about 45 days between the end of veraison and the beginning of harvest. (Veraison is the French term for the point at which berries

Old (1950s) Vineyard Photos

I had a treat in my email today: a nice note from Bob MacGillivray, who grew up in the ranch house across the street from Tablas Creek, and whose family owned the land that is now Tablas Creek from the early 1940s until 1989. He and his brother John recently

The Greening of the Vineyard

Our rain is coming, later than we'd expected it, but no less welcome. This past weekend's storm dumped about 2 inches on the vineyard, and although we're still behind our typical winter's pace, the cover crops are vibrantly green, the creeks are

Winter Rain in Paso Robles

This winter, so far, has been cold and dry. We've had three consecutive weeks (ending this weekend) where temperatures dropped into the mid-20s or colder, including several nights down around 10. This is no problem for the vineyard, which benefits from being forced into total dormancy. But,

Paso Robles Weather Musings

Today, as I was driving in to work (I live in town) I started thinking about how poorly understood the Paso Robles climate (and the diversity within the climate) is. This lack of understanding, shared by writers, growers, and the general public alike, results in a generalization of Paso Robles

Pressing Off Mourvedre

As we bring the grapes from the last few sections of the vineyard into the cellar, we make space in our tanks by pressing off some lots that were more precocious. With the beautiful weather we've been having, this sometimes makes for some nice scenes. The shot below

Autumn at Tablas Creek

Well, fall is here. We're into a cycle of weather where we come near a frost at night (we've actually dropped below freezing a couple of times) and then rise up into the 70s and 80s during the day. It's Paso Robles at its

A great shot of ripening Mourvedre

You think these grapes aren't sweet? Yellowjackets and honeybees have a feast on ripe grapes as harvest approaches (Mourvedre in this photo). Thanks to Chandler Smiley for the picture.