A vineyard is always a work in progress. Every block I have ever worked with has had a unique personality. Even two blocks of the same variety planted next to each other are often quite different. And each block has a lifetime. For some that can be 100+ years! Though about 30 or 35 years is more common. Sometimes disease can lead to a shorter life span. That is what happened to 13 acres of our Chardonnay.
A few weeks ago as I walked through the vineyard with our dog, Annie, my eye caught sight of a lone Eschscholzia californica, a California poppy. It caught me by surprise, because poppies typically start blooming here in the Spring. It was a bit tattered by the rain, but it stood out amongst grasses with its vibrant orange hue. When I returned home, inspired by its defiance of Winter, I decided to paint a botanical rendering of it.
On February 15th, we breathed a sigh of relief as the UPS driver closed his truck door, gave a wave, and headed out with the first load of 2011 Cabernet Tasting Packages. They arrived to Annual Tasting Program patrons’ homes throughout that week. Watch Steve, Ricardo and others in action as build, personalize and load the Tasting Packages into that first UPS truck. Our thanks to all of you in the Program. We sure appreciate it! And to make our thanks for tangible, we hope you find the surprise from the Wine Library in your Tasting Package.
I carry a small vineyard map in my wallet showing each block with its planting dates, rootstocks and clones, so when I walk the vineyard, I know the exact history of each area. We thought it would be fun to share a general map with you. Painted by my wife, Sarah, this vineyard map of Hafner in Alexander Valley denotes the blocks by color. Comparing this new map to my Dad’s (Dick) hand-drawn map, I am struck by what has changed and what has remained the same since we bought the ranch back in 1967.
