Harvest is quickly approaching! Harvest is the culmination of a year's hard work for the vineyard team. I had the opportunity to sit down with Vineyard Manager David Huebel last week to check in about how the vineyard is progressing and what he anticipates this vintage will be like. He shared his thoughts on the drought, the fruit quality for 2021, when he thinks Harvest might start and much more.
I have painted the cave entrance before; the focus then was springtime and the blooming of the dogwoods that grace the entrance. This time, I wanted to portray a day at work with both doors open and the stacks of barrels that sometimes seem endless. First I take several photos from different vantage points and together with Scott, we decide on the perspective. I've painted barrels many times before, so those were not the challenge on this project. Instead it was the rock wall and its varying shades of grays and greens. You'll see someone made a guest appearance in the watercolor as well!
At the beginning of June, we hosted “Summer Session”, our Friday evening series of virtual tastings focused on Cabernet, Chardonnay and Malbec. These “classes” were a fun way to explore our wines, their aromas and flavors, how they are made and more with patrons near and far. Each tasting was an hour. Scott Hafner welcomed patrons and introduced them to the HV Team. Winemaker Parke Hafner and his wife Sarah (the best palate in the house) tasted through the wines, and we shared some fun videos to help take people behind the scenes here at Hafner Vineyard. We closed the session with a lively Q&A that I hosted where patrons were able to grill Uncle Scott and Dad/Parke about all things wine. Watch the recordings here.
Malbec is a fun grape and unique, particularly in Sonoma County. Argentina is well known for its Malbec being the largest producer in the world with over 76,000 acres planted. In comparison, Sonoma County has about 400 acres planted and much of that is blended into Cabernet Sauvignon or red blends as is most common in Bordeaux. We thought it would be fun to share a short film about growing Malbec here at our ranch in Sonoma County's Alexander Valley. You'll learn about our three blocks, why I enjoy farming Malbec and when to expect Harvest. Hope you enjoy it!
We have 250 acres here in Alexander Valley. Of those about 100 are cultivated to vines on the valley floor. The rest are oak woodlands in the hills that we leave for the wildlife. We often wonder what critters call this land their home. Occasionally we’ll cross paths with a deer (often two!) or see a jack rabbit dart through the vineyard or an egret fly to the creek or even a coyote trot up the hillside. We know there must be more, so we set a wildlife camera in various locations around the ranch, hoping to catch a glimpse of the animals. I also took some drone footage high over the hills and created a short film for you to see our furry and feathered neighbors.
