Can you feel it? The days are a a little shorter, the temperatures are a little lower and as you look around…some of the leaves are beginning to change color. September is here and fall is right around the corner. What does this mean for us in the winery, tasting rooms and vineyards…HARVEST!!!

In the winery, we are preparing for the influx of fruit that will be picked, hopefully starting this week, depending on when Paul determines our first varieties are ready. We are preparing barrels, making space for the new juices, cleaning tanks and making sure that our press, crusher/destemmer, pumps and lines are all ready to go.

In the tasting rooms, it is Apple Hill season so we are excited for the crowds and all the energy and attention that comes to El Dorado County and the Sierra Foothills during this gorgeous time of year. With harvest being here, we can begin to dream about all the wonderful new vintages that we will have bottled and available, some as early as next year.

In the vineyards, we are keeping a close eye on brix levels and doing sample tests of certain varieties. We have all of our amazing crews on the ready and we are beginning to gameplan where we are going to need our harvest bins first.

All the preparation for harvest may be slow, methodical and calculated. However, that is just to make sure that we are as prepared as possible, because once harvest begins…it is a marathon sprinted until the end.