To kick off our 50^th Anniversary year, all of us who work in the vineyard and winery, gathered for a fun lunch on January 23^rd, to toast and mark the occasion. It was a cold day, but thankfully without rain during lunch, and we gathered in the oldest building on the property, “The Shop”. At one long table, surrounded by farming equipment, warmed by a heater and lit by French bistro lights, we marked the occasion by opening a jeroboam of 1982 Cabernet Sauvignon – our first vintage.

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We are lucky this year to have not just one French intern, but three! Guillaume Marre arrived in the first week of June and returned to France at the end of September for the start his school. Fortunately, Charles Marcoin and Aurélie Wycke came mid-September, so Guillaume could teach them about the life and expectations of an intern at Hafner Vineyard (most importantly, to spell "P-O-O-L" in front of Annie, our Labrador and waterdog extraordinaire.) Why did they want to be interns at Hafner Vineyard here in Alexander Valley far from Paris? Well, let me tell you...

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A new set of hands has been working with Ricardo and me in the cellar for the past couple of months. He’s fun and he’s French…he’s Guillaume, the intern! He arrived in California on June 10^th and lives with my wife, Sarah, and me on the property here in Alexander Valley. Guillaume has been helping Ricardo and me in the cellar as we get ready for harvest. He and Ricardo make a great team. I often walk into the caves and hear them working away, but also laughing hysterically. Guillaume said he’s teaching Ricardo a few choice French phrases and Ricardo’s helping him perfect the art of Mexican Spanish. Read more about Guillaume's adventures!

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Big bottles mean big celebrations and in our family, a big bottle means a jeroboam, it’s the equivalent of 6 regular sized (750 ml) bottles! What would be better to celebrate my father’s 90^th birthday than a jeroboam of Hafner Cabernet? I looked through my cellar and found a 1990, which was an excellent year here at Hafner Vineyard. A 25-year-old wine! There is a theory that the larger the bottle, the slower the aging process. To test that, I went down into my cellar and found a 750 ml bottle of the same vintage.

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People often say to all of us here: “You have my dream job!” They explain they would love to taste wines and walk the vineyard on a daily basis. Working close to the land in a beautiful agricultural setting strikes a chord with them. Being part of a small team that makes fine wine and gets it directly to patrons is a desirable occupation. The most pleasurable part of the job for many of us, however, is our interaction with you, our patrons. And a great example of this are the delightful photos patrons send us and post online. 

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