End of Season Weed Whacking
Before the rains started, and the thoughts of potential fires were still on everyone’s mind (October anyone?) we had some more requests for a little more weed whacking along the edges of the vineyard. Keeping it clean and clear!
Harvest 2021
Harvest is well underway. For us it starts with the Pinot Noir grapes. We pick and night or in the early morning, so the fruit is fresh - cooler, and firmer for transport to the winery.
Vineyard view
Sometimes, you just get that chance for a great view from the top. Francisco was working on the roof of a winery one day, and took this photo. Wine country looking good.
Rattlesnake
Every season we come across rattlesnakes in the vineyard. It’s one reason we’re so serious about keep the vineyard rows clear and clean - giving the snakes less area to feel comfortable and hang around. Here’s a picture of one we found working the vineyard rows one day we were…
New Vineyard Infrastructure
Laying out and building new vineyard infrastructure is exiting. The new growth and shiny wires. Here are a few photos from when we added trellis wires to help support the new vine growth.
Keeping It Clean
It’s hard work, but also satisfying working. Tending the the vines, and keeping the vineyard clean. When the vineyard looks this good, there’s no doubt that it’s been well taken care of.
Second Pass Suckering
The vines are growing, summer sun and all... This gives us an opportunity to do a second pass through the vineyard and sucker the plants. Here are some photos from vineyards that we’ve worked again this month. Cheers!
Field Views
We talk about the vineyard as the field. We’re farming. We’re farming grapes. Some of the vineyards we tend have other fields around them. It’s good to be in the field.
Wine Grape Update
Most of our vineyards are on the cusp of veraison - getting ready to be ready, so to speak. They’re looking good…
Good Vineyard Views
There’s no argument that the light at sun rise and magical. Match that with work in a vineyard, tucked between mountains, and well… good view. Cheers!
2021 Grapes
2021 wines grapes - they’re growing and we’ve got bunches and bunches hanging from the vines. No longer baby grapes, but definitely still green.
Sunshine in the Vineyard
The sun has been shining strongly; we’ve had heat waves and the vines are soaking it up and reaching to the sky. It’s an exciting time in the vineyard with all the new growth (yes, we’re bias and love being in the vineyard all times of year)!
Suckering vines
As the vines grow, we continue to guide them towards the best growth - funneling their energy towards growth and premium grapes. We’ve been in the vineyards suckering the vines and removing shoots.
Early June in the Vineyard
The rows are looking good and we’re starting to see baby grapes!
Burn Clean Up
Unfortunately, as we all know, we’ve had a few intense wild fire seasons in the past few years. We’ve helped cleaned up in burned vineyards, and continue to help properties stay clear and clean in anticipation of the next season. For more information, you can also check out the blog post on the Ceres blog “With fire now a fact of life in wine country, vineyards plan for aftermath.”
2021 Drought Conditions
The governer of California declared a state of emergency for two counties this past week due to drought conditions - Sonoma and Mendocino, with particular concern in the Russian River Valley. With only 12.77 inches of water this year, we’ve only had about 38% of expected rainfall (as compared to historic average). And the little rain the weekend before last, was definitely just a teaser.
Here are links to some recent articles on the news: