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Vineyard

A collection of 408 posts

Cover Crops in the Vineyard

Each winter, we plant our vineyard with a cover crop. This mix of peas, oats and vetch keeps erosion to a minimum, provides a habitat for beneficial insects, and contributes nutrients to the organic vineyard. In the winter, this cover crop is mostly green, dominated by the oats and vetch.

Field grafting Picpoul Blanc

We grafted over a section of Roussanne yesterday, replacing it with Picpoul Blanc. Picpoul has thrived here, and its bright acidity makes a nice addition in our Esprit de Beaucastel Blanc blend. The crew first cut the Roussanne vines about a foot from the surface, and then field grafted the

Winter Returns to Paso Robles

So, just when we think that we're ready to escape from winter and move onto spring, we're reminded that March in California is tremendously unpredictable. This morning, we had snow for the second time this winter (after 5 winters with no snow at all). To celebrate,

Tablas Creek Wetland Area

At the end of January, we finally completed our new wetlands project. The project, in response to a new California law requiring wineries to treat their waste water before releasing it into the environment, consistes of a series of ponds designed to filter runoff water from the winery while breaking

Getting Ready to Plant "Scruffy Hill"

After a five-year hiatus in planting, we're getting ready to begin again, at the deliberate rate of 5 acres per year over the next five years. This will allow us to gradually build our capacity from the around-16,000 case level we are now (on 80

Drying Out

We're drying out here at the vineyard after receiving about 8 inches of rain over three days, culminating with nearly 5 inches on Monday, January 2nd. Gusts of wind topped 40 miles per hour. It looks like there was remarkably little damage from such a strong storm; we&

First Major Winter Storm Expected for Paso Robles New Year's Weekend

We're getting ready for the Central Coast's first major storm of the winter season, which we expect to dump 2-3 inches of rain onto the vineyard on New Year's Eve and New Year's Day. The cover crop has sprouted, and the

Olive Harvest

The last vineyard event of the year is typically our olive harvest. The mission olive trees that line our vineyard roads were planted primarily as decoration, but they produce olives that are good both for oil production and for curing and eating. We plan to do both this year. Right