Harvest is always a fun and exciting time of year when a lot happens. It’s the culmination of a year’s work for the vineyard team and the start to a new vintage for the cellar team. During the Cabernet Sauvignon Harvest of 2020, we wanted to take you behind the scenes here at Hafner Vineyard to share with you that excitement. Check out this film to get an authentic look at the Harvest.
When we closed our "Fire Update" blog for the Walbridge Fire, we noted that we hoped that it was the only fire blog for the year. That was in August, at the beginning of fire season. Here we are at the end of September with a new "Fire Update" blog; this time about the Glass Fire. A new way of life for California. We have been touched by the calls and emails from patrons, friends and family concerned about our safety with this fire. We are safe. The Glass Fire is not a threat to us here in Alexander Valley, although it is devastating parts of Napa Valley and the hills of eastern Santa Rosa. On our blog, we share resources for you to monitor the fire's development.
With the release of our 2018 Chardonnay and 2016 Next Red, we thought it would be fun to taste them virtually with patrons. Virtual talks have been a nice way to “be with you” in your home during these uncertain times. This tasting also gave us the opportunity to dive deeper into the wines and winemaking practices. You can watch the recording of our conversation here.
September in Wine Country is exciting with vineyards abuzz. It’s Harvest time! We often welcome patrons and friends to the winery in September who want to experience this season when our cellar is full of action. This year is different…for all of us. We have not had the pleasure of visitors as we are taking precautions because of COVID-19. Instead, we found a fun way to bring Harvest to you…virtually! Here you can watch a talk that we gave on September 1st. Winemaker Parke Hafner and Vineyard Manager David Huebel share their thoughts on the 2020 Vintage along with details about how we determine when to pick the grapes, why we harvest by machine and more.
It seems too early in the “fire season” to be starting a Fire Update Blog, but here we are. Thank you to all who have emailed or called with concern for us. We deeply appreciate it. We want to share a brief update with you and a few information resources. The Walbridge Fire is the fire closest to Hafner Vineyard at the moment. (It merged with a smaller fire called the Stewarts Fire, so you may see reference to that.) The firefighters and local authorities are doing an amazing job. It’s incredible the countless hours that they are committing to keeping us all safe. Resources are stretched thin as so many fires are burning across the state, so we are deeply grateful to those men and women who are putting their lives on the line for our communities.
