there is a light at the end of the tunnel

 

Just as the fall light shifts the last of the grapes are rolling in... 

we are in the final weeks of harvest now - It has been a 'tough harvest' not for lack of quality in the fruit -- only because it hit hard and fast and required quick and flexible movements on the part of the whole team in the winery and the picking crews - fruit had to be picked and processed at a moments notice  as mother nature was particularly fickle this year ... but with all that I think the wines will be beautiful and elegant -- we had a beautiful long even warm summer that will show in the '13  vintage and we got 80%+ of our fruit in BEFORE the rain - I think the 13's will be more like a 10 - 11 in alc but I think we are going to have VERY nice spice and soft tannin - but of course only time will tell...

on the other hand the rains have given us the perfect mushroom conditions!! thanks jeremy and elaine and laura for bringing all these beauties in from our woods and sharing with big table... we've had lots of chanterells in soup sauteed on chicken and steak you name it...  yum!! and that one above is a queen bolete ! - yum!!

 

We've had some great folks helping out for harvest!! thanks to all that have volunteered to sort fruit and stomp!!!

 

also on one last note we've been getting some nice press of late from both the 

SF Chronicle and a nice mention from Eric Asimov from the NY Times : )