How great it is to be sitting here by the kitchen window this Sunday morning, overlooking a golden-hued vineyard, freshly devoid of its bounty of fruit! Yesterday's harvest was a wonder to behold. Fruit practically bursting with sugary goodness and the promise of an extremely condensed flavoring, sue to the fact that fruit yield was around 50% down on last year's volume.
Same thing all over the Petaluma Gap and for that matter, the entire wine country, as lack of seasonal rainfall impacted the production during the growing season.
All this combined for a smooth, swift harvest with the likelihood of a super-exclusive '08 vintage, cool-climate Syrah.
As you can see from my photos, we certainly deployed a degree of volunteer child labor in the hillside vines this harvest season. What's the use of having so many strapping young men around the place if they aren't interested in bringing in the fruits of the family labor?
It's a delight to see the boys and their friends become increasingly involved in the ancient art of farmstead winemaking. From the hills behind the house, to the garage below, and ultimately into the wine shed and bottles, it's an extremely short production line here in our quiet West Petaluma neighborhood.
The fact that most of the wine is consumed on the property makes for a locavore's dream, in reality! We did manage to put a dent in supplies yesterday afternoon, after the last of the morning's harvest was left to settle and ferment in giant bins.
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