Brief #Harvest15 Update from #Sonoma & #SantaBarbara County #Wineries

Harvest 2015 update!  To fully appreciate the art of winemaking, VAULT29 is taking you behind the scenes during the busiest - and most exciting - time of year in wine country. Two boutique California wineries, Stomping Girl in Sonoma County and Pali Wine Co. in Santa Barbara County, have called the 2015 harvest season "a wrap." Let's take a quick look...

STOMPING GIRL

Husband and wife duo, Uzi and Kathryn Cohen, craft superb boutique pinot noir and chardonnay from top vineyard sites like Hyde in Carneros. Harvest 2015 was a wrap in late August where the grapes from Hyde Vineyard were picked and pressed marking this harvest the earliest to date. Learn more about this dynamic duo and Stomping Girl Wines.

Hyde Vineyard Chardonnay ready for press

Proprietor, Kathryn Cohen

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PALI WINE CO.

With the weather being so warm it’s another early harvest season for Pali Wine Co. They began getting grapes in mid-August! One of their highlights is that they picked their first ever harvest from their Pali Sta. Rita Hills vineyard. The staff went out before sunrise for the first pick and harvested about one ton of Pinot Noir grapes for Rosé. Learn more about this boutique winery from Santa Barbara County.

Lamborn

Howell Mountain Winery Makes Harvest a Family Affair!

Harvest 2015 is underway!  To fully appreciate the art of winemaking, VAULT29 is taking you behind the scenes during the busiest - and most exciting - time of year in wine country. This week we take a look into Angwin winery, Lamborn Family Vineyards (Howell Mountain AVA in Napa Valley), who is gratefult for another successful harvest as a massive widfire erupted near Cobb, California - 100 miles north of San Francisco and ~30 miles from Angwin. The third most destructive wildfire in California's history, the Valley Fire burned over 75,000 acres and came within two miles of the Lamborn winery who were fortunate to have escaped any damage. The hard work and dedication of harvest is a family affair at Lamborn with the forth generation partaking in the events. 

The view on Howell Mountain is gorgeous, the picking bins are prepped, and this experience from the winery's perspective can bee seen in the VAULT29 app!

It's "GO TIME!" Harvest 2015 kicks off at 4:30am.

One is never too young to learn the family business. The forth generation partakes in the harvest festivities and have fun doing so!

Harvest 2015 is officially over. An annual tradition of a Budweiser toast to a successful harvest season with the family patriarch, "Papa."

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Lamborn Family Vineyards are producers of elegant Howell Mountain wines, including cabernet sauvignon and zinfandel, artfully crafted by extraordinary winemaker, Heidi Barrett. Do yourself the favor and get acquainted with this lovely family and brand!

Phantom Rivers

Phantom Rivers Winemaker in Harvest Action  

Harvest 2015 is underway!  To fully appreciate the art of winemaking, VAULT29 is taking you behind the scenes during the busiest - and most exciting - time of year in wine country. Here's a simplistic behind-the-scenes-look at the steps Phantom Rivers (Paso Robles AVA) winemaker, John Thunen, takes during harvest once the grapes are pulled from the vines.

Step 1: Sorting

Best wines are produced by best grapes. But what about all the other stuff  that comes from harvesting (ie leaves, twigs, unripe fruit, and even bugs)? Once the grapes are harvested off the vines, they are transported to the sorter where only the quality fruit will be brought into the winery. 

Step 2: Destemming, Crushing, Fermenting 

Once the grapes have been sorted they are destemmed and crushed. and dropped into 1,000 lb fermentation bins. Winemaker, John Thunen, transports the bins where they will ferment for 7-10 days.   

Step 3: Pressing 

After 7-10 days of fermenting, the fermentation bins are poured into the press. The juice collects in a big stainless steel tank. 

Step 4: Pumping, (More) Fermenting, and Aging 

Finally, the juice from the stainless steel tanks are pumped into barrels for the completion of fermentation and aging. It is racked after about 8-12 weeks and again a few months later. Then, it goes to "sleep" for 18 months.

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For more information about Phantom Rivers click here and/or download the VAULT29 app and search "Phantom Rivers."

Emeritus Wines

Harvest 2015 is underway!  To fully appreciate the art of winemaking, VAULT29 is taking you behind the scenes during the busiest - and most exciting - time of year in wine country. Check out the perspective from Emeritus, as we take a quick look into night harvest effort of pinot noir at Hallberg Ranch in Sonoma County's Goldridge.

Why harvest at night? Because the dark sky brings cool temperatures which protects the compositional integrity of the fruit. Generally speaking, bringing in the grapes at night when they are cool allows for better aromatics, acidity and sugar levels. Picking at night is also much more pleasant for harvest crews, minus the lack of sleep, who can suffer from dehydration and/or fatigue on hot days. 

Night Harvest

Picking M Block of Hallberg Ranch, Pommard Clone

Champagne toast on the last day of harvest – still lots of work to get wine into barrels but the cellar crew is toasting the last fruit coming into the winery.

For more insights into Harvest 2015 at Emeritus, click here.

In the Russian RIver Valley Vineyards @TeacMor - #Harvest2015 Update

Harvest 2015 is underway!  To fully appreciate the art of winemaking, VAULT29 is taking you behind the scenes during the busiest - and most exciting - time of year in wine country. Here's a visually rich insider's look at the events taking place in Russian River Valley (Sonoma County) at Teac Mor.

(Photo credits: Beth Deutsche)

Teac Mor Pinot Noir wait in anticipation of being picked. The winemaker and farmer work together to decide when to harvest.

Decisions about trellising and training of the vines impact the way grapes grow and ease of harvesting.

Months of fastidious attention to the vines results in plump, gorgeous Teac Mor Pinot Noir berries

A grape harvesting knife is used to harvest Pinot Noir clusters.

A small cluster that didn't see full veraison is left on the vine

Pinot Noir newly picked and ready for crush.

Grapes are ready for their next stage as the farmer drives his fruit to the winemaker.

This wouldn't be possible with constant vineyard companion, Dweezle, who takes part in his 10 harvest.

Learn more about Teac Mor and find out about purchasing wine by emailing christine@teacmor.com

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Take a look inside the family-owned and operated winery in the Russian River Valley appellation of Sonoma County. Learn what "Teac Mor" means and get to know Steve Moore's (winemaker/vineyard manager) biodynamic approach to producing Pinot Noir and Chardonnay from their estate grown grapes. Read more here.

#Harvest2015 Update Highlighting @DRNKwines

Harvest 2015 is underway!  To fully appreciate the art of winemaking, VAULT29 is taking you behind the scenes during the busiest - and most exciting - time of year in wine country. This week, we take an insider's look at what winemaker, Ryan Kunde, and DRNK's crush crew is up to.

Pinot grapes picked at Hallberg Ranch (Sonoma County; Russian River Valley) are ready for the sorting table

The Setup:  On the right is the hopper which has an auger to push out the grapes, and they fall on to the sorting table. Then the grapes go into the destemmer, which separate the berries from the stem cluster.

The crush crew at DRNK. (Left to right) Ryan, Sonoe, and Michael.

Winemaker, Ryan Kunde,  pumping wine into a barrel. This batch of pinot noir was processed and fermented on the skins. First, we put the free run (aka the juice that was extracted on its own) into barrel. Then, the grapes will be pressed and its juice put into a separate barrel.

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We encourage you, if you haven't already, to get acquainted with this gem. Join their mailing list and check out experiences which have happened at the winery by searching "DRNK" in the VAULT29 app - it's FREE - Cheers!

#Harvest2015 Update: NEW #Wine Brand @ErinEWines

Harvest 2015 is underway!  To fully appreciate the art of winemaking, VAULT29 is taking you behind the scenes during the busiest - and most exciting - time of year in wine country. New wine brand, Erin E., hit the scene with a 2013 Sonoma Stage Pinot Noir and is now in the midst of harvesting syrah with fellow friend and wine maker, Carolyn Craig. Here's an insiders look at the 2015 harvest of syrah which will be made into a rosé.

Hillside fruit. Must pick with caution!

It's a family affair! Friend and wine maker, Carolyn Craig, checks in on the vineyard site. Erin's husband, Karl, and father-in-law, John, walk through the vines one last time before harvest begins. Karl and Erin's children, Patrick and Cameron, walk through the Syrah vineyard checking the brix with Carolyn.  

Carolyn Craig

Karl & John

The Children

Syrah grapes are looking good - 22 brix! 

Below: Erin uses an "old school" refractometer to check the brix (sugar levels).

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We highly encourage you to get to know this newcomer! Her 1st vintage pinot noir is from Sonoma Stage Vineyard which is located in the newly founded wine territory between Petaluma and Carneros at the southern end of the Sonoma Coast AVA known as the Petaluma Gap. Read more about Erin E. in "Building of a Brand."  

#Harvest2015 With #Sonoma Coast #Winery: Alma Fria

Harvest 2015 is underway!  To fully appreciate the art of winemaking, VAULT29 is taking you behind the scenes during the busiest - and most exciting - time of year in wine country. This week, Sonoma Coast knock out, Alma Fria, gives us an insider's look at the 2015 Doña Margarita Pinot Noir. 

#winewithsoul

First Pinot off the vines this seaaon. 4 am "pisca" at Doña Margarita Vineyard, Freestone CA.

#terroirexpression

Sign of the season: tiny clusters, many smaller than this. 4 am "pisca" at Doña Margarita Vineyard.

#coolclimatepinot

Up close and personal with pinot noir from Doña Margarita Vineyard, Sonoma Coast 

#westsonomacoast

Farming isn't the only risk, hauling the fruit downhill was quite the challenge.

#handcrafted

Fiist punchdown of 2015! 

If you haven't already, get acquainted with Alma Fria: A family owned/operated boutique winery crafting beautiful wines from the remote ridgetops of Annapolis (Sonoma Coast AVA).

Harvest2015

Harvest 2015 is underway!  To fully appreciate the art of winemaking, VAULT29 is taking you behind the scenes during the busiest - and most exciting - time of year in wine country. This week, Central Coast favorite Laetitia Vineyards & Winery gives us an exclusive look at the 2015 Sparkling Wine production. 

The first fruit of the season, Chardonnay, arrive at the winery and are destined for sparkling wine production.

The harvest workers are shoveling the fruit to make for even pressing

The fruit is being pressed in Coquard basket presses, the only two of their kind in North America

When the Cuvee valve is open, that means that is the cleanest juice or the first press Otherwise known as the cuvee.

VP of Production and Sparkling Winemaker Dave Hickey checking the brix (sugar levels) on the juice to make sure it’s where he likes it.

The fruit after it is pressed, will next head back to the vineyard to be used as compost.

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Learn more about Laetitia on our Wine Mic Monday series and check out experiences happening, in our app, at the winery and beyond! Search by the winery name "Laetitia", as well as by hashtag: #Laetitia -- Cheers!