Monday, February 18, 2008

Web Site Update Coming

I just sent off the new label and font for Stefania to have added to the website. I suspect it will take a week or two to get done, and then the entire site will get a content refresh.

As soon as the label work is complete I'll have updates on the 2006 and 2007 wines as well as plans for 2008. There will also be an update on our new vineyards. Look for the schedule to be updated as well. We have a number of events coming up in March, April and May.

I may also start adding the newsletter to the site as well. We're just a few weeks away from sending out offer letters for our 2006 Eaglepoint Ranch Syrah, and I'd like to have the site updated by then. Originally we had planned to have on line ordering set up for 2008, but that was postponed for another year. With the new vineyards we've taken on that money had to go to vineyard maintenance costs this year.

Monday, February 11, 2008

Quick Update on Pruning, more photos

Paul and the crew worked Friday, Saturday and Sunday at the Woodruff Vineyard in Corralitos this past weekend. I was able to help on Saturday and we rounded up a few more volunteers to whom we are greatly appreciative.

Huge Thanks to Kathy, Wes, and Dave!

The rest of the crew, Daniel, Jerry, and Millie kicked some serious butt over the weekend and are almost done - just a few more rows this week and we can cross that off the list as "Done".

I took some time out Saturday to capture the site and the crew working - the photos are uploaded here: http://www.bubbleshare.com/album/316611

The next round of blogs and updates will probably include the bottling schedule (early March for the Syrah and Haut Tubee) and whatever random musings cross our minds.

Again, a huge round of applause and kudos to our volunteer pruners, you guys are awesome!!!!
(and we secretly wonder if you'll be back...)

S&P

Monday, February 04, 2008

Photos from Chaine d'Or

http://www.bubbleshare.com/album/312203

I captured the vineyard before we pruned, and took a bunch of pictures yesterday with it all done and cleaned up. I even got Sophie to sit still for me long enough for a photo. Inside the winery Paul and I racked almost all of the barrels. He trained me on using the equipment and had me working alongside him both days.

Though I meant to take photos of another vineyard we were contracted to prune, it was raining way too hard and I was soaking wet from a quick survey of the site. The wind chill was brutal as the actual temperature outside was somewhere around 46 degrees. Bone chilling and wet.

For certain I enjoyed the challenges and technical aspects of the winery tasks from the weekend and it's always a great day at work when there is a sample of wine to taste and talk about.

We barrel tasted everything and there were some amazing highlights that I'll let Paul blog about further. One barrel had this heady aroma of cinnamon and spice, another had the most beautiful aroma of flowers; purple and white flowers. When we took samples and tasted them, they were both full bodied and fulfilling even though the nose was sexy and wispy on the flowery one. (I left varietal and vineyard specifics off on purpose).

We got home in time to catch the 2nd half of the SuperBowl though mostly I think it was on for noise in the background while we sat still and tried not to think about our sore muscles. I'll be glad when winemaking is full time on-site and not something we cram into every weekend minute we have available - it's a lifestyle change for the better, but a smoother transition from sitting on my posterior during the week to full days on my feet would be nice.