The rain has stopped (at least for now) and spring has come to the vineyard!
Quiet Time
Its late-January here on Sonoma Mountain and the vineyard is quiet and resting. The vines have been pruned and are relaxing before growing season starts in the spring. We’ve had a good amount of rain and there is more in the forecast for the coming week. These are ideal conditions and we’re excited about the coming year!
Making the 2018 Pigasus Merlot
We decided to do a little experimentation in our second year of owning this beautiful vineyard. We are trying to better understand what this terrior produces and what better way than to make a little wine!
We’ll follow the fruit from the harvest on September 24th, to the winery, and ultimately to the bottle. Be sure to check back for updates as the process unfolds in coming months and years.
Ready to be picked
Dale and winemaker Randy Czech sorting in the vineyard
The fruit arrives at the winery
Preparing for a final brix measurement
Into the de-stemmer
Into the fermenter
What beautiful color!
A happy man at the end of a long day
One of two neutral barrels that will hold our precious juice
Late January sampling – its coming along nicely
2018 Harvest
On September 24th, we picked sauvignon blanc and a small section of merlot. For Dale, it was a bit like Christmas morning!
Hand Leafing
In early July, we moved wires across the vineyard and hand leafed all of the vines. Now we patiently wait for Mother Nature to do her ripening magic with sunshine and cooling afternoon ocean breezes.
Grafting and Pruning
Pruning done; new blocks of Sauvingnon Blanc and Semillon budded over. Now we wait for bud break — fingers crossed that all the grafts take!
