‘Twas the week before Christmas and — the 2018 harvest is a wrap!
December 2018
It was a mildly warm fall season which allowed for some extended hang time for the fruit that we harvested. Hanging longer on the vine, the grapes build sugar and flavor which makes for a more delicious wine. But it’s a balancing act, knowing when to pick the fruit so that wine is rich in color and flavor and structure, but not so ripe that the sugar levels deliver high alcohol wines that are short on acidity. We want all of our wines to show a bright and beautiful balance of both fruit and acidity.
We’re looking forward to the early release of our white wines while our reds will age in oak barrels for, at least, 14-16 months. The 2018 vintage promises to be remarkable!
My kids have made it through another harvest and are actually proving themselves valuable in the winery. Charlotte seems to have an affinity for wine. She gets it and is quickly grasping the art and science of winemaking. Theresa-Noelle’s and Buddy’s talents seem to be geared more toward keeping the cellar clean and tidy. No less important. A messy winery can make for messy wines.
The past few weeks have been particularly busy as we wound down harvest and launched our popup tasting room at the Santa Barbara Holiday Night Market in the former Macy’s building on State Street. The Night Market opened on Friday November 23rd and runs Thursdays through Sundays from 4 – 10 pm until December 29th. I’ve been sharing pouring duties with our Cellar Master, Trevor Bethke, and Brand Manager, Jamie Edlin. The Market is festive with popup wine and beer tasting rooms, eateries, specialty retailers, arts, crafts, music and more. It’s the best party in town! Please stop by and taste our current releases. We’d love to see you!
And for those of you who have stopped by our booth at the Market, thanks for keeping us good company. We’re all about Santa Barbara County vines and wines and always happy to support SB County in any way we can,
Our tasting room in Buellton will reopen in January — by appointment only.
And we’ll be pouring our wines at the Garagiste Wine Festival at the Veterans Memorial Hall in Solvang on Saturday, February 9, 2019.
Hope to see you one place or the other in the New Year.
Happy Holidays,
Etienne
