The Rains in Napa

Kiara and I drove to Napa this afternoon to pick up a foiler. A foiler is an expensive piece of machinery (around $1,500) that simply seals the foil around the bottle neck. Considering that each foil costs just under $0.10, that is a pricey tool.

On our trip up, I paid particular attention to how the rain has impacted the vineyards. Northern California, particularly areas north of San Francisco, has been hit hard the past few weeks. The Healdsburg Weather Station has tracked close to 30" of rain in December alone. The Carneros region, near southern tip of Napa, had lots of mini lakes and puddles between the rows of grapes. The news has reported that Napa Creek and the Russian River are flooding. So far no reports of vineyard damage.

Here are our pictures driving through Carneros, along Hwy 121:

I love how the rain makes everything so green. Once the rain season ends, the hills slowly turn pale until they reach a parched brown. California's seasonal shades of color are incredible.