The
2008 harvest was one of those years when
everything ripened so gently and all the
flavors in the vineyard wrapped into focus.
Picture yourself walking amongst the vines
nestled all across the county. Taking berry
samples at sunset. Dropping off the picking bins in the
middle of the night. Tracing out the vineyard block on a
piece of paper after you just marked the rows that were
ripe under the moon light sky.
Feeling your way down the hill and wandering up to
the back of the house to talk with the vineyard owner as
to why the west facing block ripened quite nicely but
the rows to the south still need to hang for at least
another week. He flips his steak in the pan, eyes glazed
over, too tired to cook any vegetables, he looks at me
with a half smile seeing that I finally understand the
nuances of his vineyard. It took four months for this
cluster of vines on this rugged west face to finally
reveal itself to me.
It is only at he end of it all when you are walking
through the vineyard the night before you are going to
pick, running on vapor, tasting berries as you roll
along, thinking to yourself “this is why I do this.”
Sampling those berries on the eve of the pick and
tasting those intense flavors.
Who will taste this wine as it is poured out of a
bottle three years from now…. and find their way back
to this moment. Will they taste the flavors of these
berries as I do? Will they feel the rays of the moonlight
uncover all of the nuances between the valley and the
hills? Can they feel that cold autumn breeze settle in?
That kind of cold dry air that accentuates every detail
under the midnight sky.
I know you will find this is too special a moment not
to be shared.
Sincerely,
Jeffrey Smith, Winemaker