Picking Up Used Barrels; Punch Downs

After commuting back from Sunnyvale, I drove up to Santa Rosa to pick up (3) 2000 François Frères barrels from Merry Edwards. Seems all I do is drive. In addition to my 100 mile commute...

All Wines- Taking Numbers and Checking Out

At 8 pm, I arrived at the winery to check up on all 3 wines, "take numbers", and make some winemaking decisions. First, I punched down all of Tom's wines that were cold soaking. Then...

Interview with Robert Parker Jr.

The Press Democrat's Savor section ran an interesting Interview with Robert Parker a couple of days ago. Robert Parker Jr. is arguably one of the world's most powerful wine critics who regularly changes a wine's...

Harvest Report: Week 7- Trends Emerge

As the harvest continues, trends are emerging. St. Helena Star's 7th Week Harvest Report, has some great insights: Ripeness has evened out thanks to the weather.As we begin to press the Pinot Noir, we’re finding...