Winter is a time when the vines go dormant and fast-paced action of harvest becomes a memory.
But in the vineyard and the cellar, there is no shortage of things keeping us busy, from pruning to blending to barrel work. We call it the “not-so-quiet” season, and this year it’s off to a fast start as the skies remain largely dry and sunny.
Pruning & Praying for Rain
When asked what’s going on in the vineyard right now, Winemaker Stewart Cameron kept it succinct: “Pruning and praying for rain,” he said.
Indeed, January has been very dry here on the Central Coast, but that hasn’t stopped us from getting out there and performing the annual practice of pruning. In fact, one upside of the sunny weather is that the ground is firm and dry, allowing our tractors and crews to move freely and comfortably through the vineyard without interruption. And thankfully, we did get a healthy splash of rain to close out the month.
At first glance, pruning is simply the act of cutting off the long vine branches, called canes, that were produced during the previous growing season. A closer look, however, reveals the art and science of pruning. The final cuts are carefully chosen to leave a specific number of buds on each vine. When done well, pruning results in a balanced-looking vine, with an appropriate crop load and a manageable canopy—all of which contributes to the goal of evenly ripened clusters with intensely flavored berries.
In Good Hands
January is a time to regroup in the cellar, after the fermentation tanks have been emptied and before the bottling season. Activities include barreling down new wines; finishing up secondary malolactic fermentations; and blending and filtering wines to prepare for bottling. Soon enough, we will be bottling the first of our 2024 whites, including Sauvignon Blanc and Rosé.
We are also excited to share that Sal LaCasto, who has worked on the winemaking team since 2019, was recently promoted to Cellar Master, reporting to Winemaker Stewart Cameron and Assistant Winemaker Patrick Doyle. “Sal has learned to handle everything, not just in the cellar, but other important contributing projects such as our wastewater system,” Stewart says. “He’s stepped up over the past couple of years, taking on more responsibilities, and doing things efficiently and effectively.”
Thanks to internal promotions like these, our winemaking team has never been stronger and better, as evidenced by our 2024 ratings roundup showing all of the scores and awards racked up over the past 12 months.