I’m at the barrels today tasting the ‘09 reds. It’s early, but—for those budding winemakers—I can already tell what I’ve got on my hands for this vintage. Our ’07 Cabernet was really good, and I was psyched with our first run out of the gate. Then our ’08 grapes blew the doors off the ’07. The ’08 Cab is ripper—and people are noticing. My buddy Raj Parr, a sommelier of some renown, a partner in the Michael Mina Group and a sweet dude, turned all of his sommeliers onto it as soon as he tried it. That was a brilliant boost to my morale—and helped stem the tide of stomach-lining loss. If I haven’t already stressed it enough, winemaking is a wild ride. Bring your life jacket.

So… “The ’09 reds? What about the ’09 reds?” you’re thinking. They’re crazy train. I already take a sip and think “Holy crap. This is some peak-experience stuff.” I’m stoked, to say the very, very least.

And, the Sauvignon Blanc is staying so on track it makes me quote Richard Pryor in Stir Crazy—“Yea, dass right! Dass right! We bad!” (See it if you haven’t. The guy was genius. Gene Wilder too.) NSFW, btw… From our first vintage, the ’06 SB, this wine has impressed me. I know, I know—we made it. But it’s just so gooood. And the ’09 is keeping up the family tradition. It’s “wow” stuff.

All of this adds up to me untwisting my kickers a couple turns. Again, for all you budding winemakers, each part of the process is a giant unknown mixed with straight-ahead experience dashed with pixie dust. A place angels fear to tread. But, man, if they did, they’d taste some good wine right now.

Grayson Hartley, my partner on the winemaking front, is a fucking incredible and insanely talented vigneron (a winemaker with deep roots in the vineyard). His read on the vineyard is tight and his progression in the cellar is something to watch. Here are his notes so far. By the way, notice his last note. New for this year and wicked exciting to us all—a red Zinfandel.

Ladies and gentlemen, Grayson Hartley…

A little 2009 Cabernet Sauvignon background is in order before we get to the notes. We currently have two separate batches of Cab fermenting that we’ve handled slightly differently to enhance certain aspects. A great challenge this time of year—before blending—is to set aside prejudices of a given lot based on past performance and characteristics of earlier vintages and taste with a clear mind and fresh palate. However, it’s rewarding when a given vineyard’s wine impresses but doesn’t surprise you—it means you’re getting to know the vineyard. (more…)

There are a bazillion people that have wine labels that don’t own, nor will they ever own, a brick and mortar winery.

There’s a certain fantasy that people want to have about making wine. They want you to own your own vineyards. They want you to own the winery. I like to keep that magical thought going, I do. But, I’m a Southern Baptist preacher’s kid and I don’t have the money to do that. Maybe some day I will, but for now I work super close with the growers and stay intimately involved. That’s the way you do it if you want to make great wine on a shoestring. Some of our largest competitors start with $40 million plus in their bank account. That ain’t us. (more…)

Precious few people will actually make the mental trip back through the chain of events that led to that glass of Manifesto! in their hand. Winemakers will get a bottle and go, “Cool. This is right on.” Most folks will grab it and say, “Let’s get a steak!”

Here’s the way it works:
Once your fruit comes in you know if you’ve made a good picking choice or not. Cool. Then during fermentation you know if you have a chance to make some great wine. But, with anything based on a mix of science and Mother Nature, you never know. Hopefully, as a winemaker you’re the most judgmental person to come across the wine, and you pick out any flaws long before anyone else will. (more…)