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Vineyard

A collection of 408 posts

Off with Their Heads: We Graft our Chardonnay to Counoise and Mourvedre

By Levi Glenn We have been accused of being part of the ABC (Anything But Chardonnay) contingent, but that wasn’t true... until now. Since 2000, we've harvested our two-acre Chardonnay block -- originally used to produce vine material for our grapevine nursery -- and used it to make

The Beauty of Frost Protection

By Chelsea Franchi The beginning of last week brought some low temperatures to the vineyard and Executive Winemaker/Vineyard Manager Neil Collins and Viticulturist Levi Glenn were forced to work through the night to ensure that the 2013 harvest didn't get fried by frost. When freezing temperatures are

Budbreak 2013

With the last two weeks of warm weather, the vineyard has sprung out of dormancy. Starting with Viognier, Grenache and Grenache Blanc, budbreak proceeds through Syrah, Marsanne and Picpoul, and eventually finishes with Roussanne and Mourvedre. The photo below, of a Grenache vine from last week, is typical: With budbreak

Balanced on the tipping point between winter and spring

This time of year in the vineyard is unique. The mild days, deep blue skies and warm sun give evidence of the summer to come, but the frosty nights, bright green cover crop and bare vines give evidence of the winter past. It's one of the busiest times

The stunning 2013 wildflower season

I've never seen a wildflower season like this one. Whether because of all the sun we've had the last two months, because of the work we've been doing with biodynamics to help build up the soil's health, or something else entirely, these

Photo of the Day: Donkeys on Guard

Some photos are too good not to share. As regular followers of the blog know, we have two donkeys that help guard our mixed flock of sheep and alpacas from coyotes, bobcats, mountain lions and other predators that might threaten the smaller animals. Donkeys will bond with other species in

In which we dig ourselves a hole, on purpose

By Levi Glenn It's been a little over a year since our purchase of our new parcel. The property is just to our south: 150 acres of rolling oak woodland, a walnut orchard (now removed), and a fair amount of the creek from which we take our name.

Photo essay: the vineyard's new green winter coat

It's beautiful out here this weekend. Last weekend's rain has passed through, and a week of sunny weather has meant that the cover crop and the natural grasses have exploded out of the ground. I can't ever remember as fast a transformation in the

What a difference two weeks makes

Two weeks ago, I posted a series of autumn foliage pics, one of which is below: I walked back past that spot yesterday, on an ultimately fruitless quest to take some good sunset pictures. I was stunned by how much more fall-like the vineyard felt after two weeks that

Harvest 2012 concludes, and we couldn't be happier

We finished the 2012 harvest yesterday, with the last "clean-up" pick, where we go back through the late-ripening blocks where we left the clusters that weren't quite ready on our previous time through. Typically, these pickings are a little ugly, with fruit not in