End of Year Thoughts - 2023 Vintage
There is light at the end of the tunnel. For the last six months since June, the daylight has been waning, replaced by longer and longer nights. Nature’s cue to start getting ready for bed.
It’s a long process, putting nature to rest for the year. It starts with the frenzy of Spring. Buds are breaking, flowers are blooming, bees are buzzing, shoots are growing vigorously. Just like writing an ambitious to-do list on a Sunday afternoon, basking in the afterglow of a few cups of coffee. At some point in the day, you realize you may have bitten off more than you can chew.
Just as the hurricane of work begins to feel overwhelming, calm falls over the field. Midsummer. It’s hot. This year, it was dry as well. Growth slows almost to a standstill. It’s finally time to catch up on work that was missed during the first flurry of growth. Timing is important in growing grapes—getting the right work done at the right time is important, and doing it late isn’t always as effective. It’s a welcome respite, but it’s not a time to rest on one’s laurels. It’s simply the eye of the storm, and an equal and opposite chaos lies just over the horizon.
Harvest is always a little sad. We spend all year dedicating so much of our time and effort bringing this fruit to bear. We pay careful attention to their ripening, hoping to catch them as they’re passing through their goldilocks window. The incredible union of sun, soil, earth, and human effort that eventually becomes the wine we drink. The wine that beckons people around the world to their dinner tables, to congregate with their friends, and to connect with their families. So much comes from a grape. The juice is what matters most, but it’s difficult not become attached to the vessel itself. Seeing it on the vine, having completed its voyage from bud to berry safely, is its own special reward. Something I always hate to see go. However, nature is cruel, and if we were to leave these grapes to the wild forces, they would soon become a shriveled, hollowed shell.
There is no pause button. The only path forward for a grape is a change of state. I would have to imagine that this grape, prior to its being crushed and turned into wine, is not looking forward to its fate. It would have no way of knowing that this period of deconstruction, chemical and physical transformation, aging, and exposure, is a metamorphosis. What emerges on the other side of this process called winemaking, is something different. The fragile and naïve fruit that came into our cellar transforms into something formidable. They emerge as wines that can stand the test of time, share their own experiences and memories, and encourage people to do the same. That’s what we hope for.
Meanwhile, the days are getting shorter and shorter. I usually don’t notice until one day, I find myself driving home in the dark. That’s my cue to start getting ready for some rest. The work for the year wanes with the light. All of our wines are tucked away in tanks and barrels for the next many months. It won’t be busy, but there will certainly be a lot happening.