Taking a Breath! Harvest is not Over Yet,,,,,,,,

Going non stop since August 8 and there are still more grapes to go! All of the 'sparkling' grapes are in as well as most of the Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. Some of that still trickling in. Now waiting for the rest of the reds, like Cabernet, to come in. It has been an odd harvest- there is always a little lull in between the rush of the early grapes transitioning to the later reds- this year has been a big break!

Last week was the third harvesting of the Tres Palmeras vineyard- it is great to bring in the fruit that you have labored over the past year. The crop was very light due to the drought, but the flavors are incredible. It is fermenting away and will be pressed in about four days from now. Barrels are ready- time to start thinking about what will be ready to bottle.......

The break in the action allowed me to show my wines at the Monterey Wine Festival . I was able to share a table with friend and fellow Winemaker Gabriella Gazzano with Rielle wines which allowed me a few moments to view the incredible seahorse exhibit within the Monterey Aquarium . What a moving exhibit! I could have easily spent hours watching these creatures. The Wine Fest was a good one this year having moved the second day to the Hyatt- much nicer and more comfortable venue than the Fairgrounds. It was great to see some of you out there!

The grapes are calling- the 'second' round of grapes is que'ing up rapidly- about 120 tons today!

The Mustang Winemaker, Penny

Packed Weekend

It is Sunday evening - Frank and I are finally sitting- on the deck Mojito in hand. Yesterday was CigarBQ and it was hot - damn hot! Even the red wines were in the cooler and it was hot enough to wonder if there was any wine worth drinking without an ice cube.........wish I would have brought my plastic cubes that I keep in the freezer just for days like that.

Thank you! to our friend Blaine for taking the photo- a fellow Tempranillo fan that is getting ready to plant some vines in the Russian River that could one day end up in our RRV appellation wines.

Today is another scorcher- >100F in some spots. I had a tasting room meeting earlier today and one of the winery owners vineyard sensors were lighting up his phone like fire alarms. Tomorrow is supposed to be cooler-let's hope so. The Tempranillo vines in Tres Palmeras vineyard are days away from bloom-hopefully they are not getting fried! It did reach 98F here.......

Next weekend is Memorial Day weekend and I will be off with the family, though still near a computer! The following weekend my 30 day wait for my tasting room license will be done and a license issued-then let the tasting room fun begin. The weekend after that will be Taste of Alexander Valley- I will have some wine from my Tres Palmeras vineyard there-futures anyone? The following week is the TAPAS grand tasting- I am lining up volunteers-so far have about 12 - let me know if you would be interested and I will be getting the coordination of tasks going!

Cheers and I hope to see in the tasting room soon- the Mustang Winemaker