Rising to the Occasion
They say rise to the occasion, but in 2022, the occasion kept rising. And rising. To 118°F to be exact. A record-breaking heat dome hit Napa Valley over Labor Day weekend just as vineyards, plump with Cabernet Sauvignon, were ripe for picking.
A Case for Waiting
This morning brought a beautiful reminder of the reward in waiting: Lisa Perrotti-Brown published her latest reviews of our library vintages. Some going back nearly 30 years! Her words were generous, evocative, and full of the same thoughtful energy we’ve always hoped these wines would inspire when the time finally came to open them.
The Luxury of ‘23
To farm is to live in concert with things of a fleeting nature. The morning mist, the pop of bud break, the gravity of fruit ripening just so. Seasons unfold beyond our control, shaped more by patience than by force. And maybe that’s the truest expression of Napa Valley luxury: not what we impose, but what we’re willing to wait for.
Emma’s Bottling Day Retrospective
You might be thinking, A bottling line doesn’t seem like the best place for a child. And to that, I say, yeah, you’re absolutely right. What the hell were they thinking? But when you’re running a family farm, child labor laws are more of a laughable suggestion than a hard-and-fast rule.
‘94 till Forever
1994 was a good year for Napa Valley wine—and a monumental one for Shannon and Rich. The vintage itself was uneventful: a cool Spring, a brief June heatwave, and a mild Summer. Their personal lives, however, were anything but.
Ah, you made it! Thanks for stopping by.
You're here. And that means you're someone who appreciates a good bottle of wine - and maybe even a good story. Lucky for you, we've got plenty of both.