Winemaking & Viticulture Update
Springtime arrived early in Sonoma County this year as we experienced our earliest budbreak in recent memory. Signs of growth we sighted at our Home Ranch on Rattlesnake hill in late January! February brought us a bit more rain to fill the soil profiles, but once March hit, all signs of rain disappeared from the radar and temperatures soared to above average, topping out on some days in the mid 90’s! The vineyards are in full swing as our crews work diligently to keep up with Mother Nature. Having finished pruning, they are now busy tying canes to the support wire and working ground to crimp our cover crops to protect the soil with a healthy layer of mulch for the growing season.We will be eager to welcome back the second half of our H2A vineyard team at the end of March as well to fill out our team and put us into high gear!
In the winery it’s been both a time of reflection, as we completed all of our bottling of the 2024 red wines in Winter; and a time to look forward as we bottled the first of our 2025 wines with our Vermentino from our Keyhole Ranch in Russian River Valley. What wine can usher in the Spring and celebrate the upcoming Easter and Mother’s Day better than Vermentino?
We are also turning our attentions back to our young 2025 wines. We scrutinize the new wines in January because ideally, they have now had time to complete fermentation and malolactic conversion and settle out. We make any needed adjustments to aging vessel, rack any wines that may need a breath of fresh air after the completion of malolactic fermentation over the late fall and winter. We then start assembling blends of the best wines for each program with the goal to allow those components the most time possible to seamlessly mesh over the next 9 to 12 months, when they will be bottled.
We’re excited to share our April release and can’t wait for you to experience the 2024 Old Vine Zinfandel, 2024 Cortina Zinfandel, and 2024 Rockpile Zinfandel. Each wine reflects both the character of its site and the thoughtful decisions shaping this vintage from vine to cellar.
Salute!
Andy Robinson
