Lunch at the vineyard.

Friends from all over the country have come to enjoy a wonderful lunch in the vineyard.

Cooling fog at night.

Inspiration for our labels came from sights at the vineyard.  Cooling fog at night and warm days makes for great grapes.

Jo picking Viognier.

We personally pick the Viognier grapes that go into the wine.  The wine is truly hand made from start to finish.

Personal touch.

Hand harvesting the Viognier.

Picking begins.

We want to get the grapes to the crusher as quickly as possible.  These guys work like crazy.

Individual crews.

Small crews work together to pick the Cabernet Sauvignon.

Jo pressing.

Fermentation is over.  Now it’s time to press and get the wine into the barrel.

A crew in the Merlot.

Another small crew works its way through the Merlot.  It takes about 40 skilled pickers about a week to pick the entire vineyard.

Petit Verdot time.

Jo is setting out the picking bins so we can get the Petit Verdot picked.

Great weather.

Cool weather makes for a great day to pick.  We just don’t consume as much beer as usual.

Keith crushing.

After picking, the grapes go into a crusher/destemmer to get ready for fermentation.

Fermentation.

Jo is getting ready to inoculate the must with yeast. 

Crushing couture?

John and Keith model the best in crushing attire.  Stains just don’t matter.

Help is appreciated.

Our 3 year old son helps with the crushing.  Keep those little fingers safe!

Soaking up.

Before the wine goes into the barrel we have to make sure that there aren’t any leaks.

Bringing in barrels.

A load of barrels coming into the barn.

Get to work.

The boss doesn’t allow any goofing off!

Getting it all in.

Jo packs the grapes into the press.  This press will hold a full ton of must if you really pack it in.  Only the cleanest feet need apply.

Quality control.

The Viognier juice is rigorously tested by an expert.  Before fermentation of course.  Only the best gets to the bottle.