Summer has flown by! It feels like I just packed up my holiday décor, only to feel like I will be pulling them out in no time! My family and I are going to try to take a few quick long weekends to soak up the last few days of summer before harvest rolls around.
Harvest represents both a beginning and end. It’s the culmination of the hard year-round work that goes into tending our vines, yet the beginning of turning that hard work into a pleasurable bottle of wine through the process of winemaking. Neither process could exist without the other.
As a youngster growing up harvest was just the period of time where I never saw my dad nor did we ever schedule any family vacations! It’s also probably why most everyone in my family celebrates their anniversary in early August—because no one was allowed to get married during harvest! However, now I understand harvest through so many different lenses and how special it really is.
I once heard a fellow winemaker explain it in such an eloquent way that really resonated with me–which I will paraphrase. In summary she said theoretically, if you’re lucky, you are a winemaker for 30 years of your life. How many other occupations out there do you only have 30 chances to be the best you can possibly be? You only get one chance every year and have to wait an entire year in order to try it again. It’s both beautiful and painful to think about.
The property here is absolutely stunning towards the end of summer—it really gets a chance to show its beauty in the fall. I never get tired of the transition of light—there is a point of time when the light becomes the true definition of “Golden Hour.” I chose one specific vine to capture a photograph of James last year, and I hope to be able to do that every year hereafter.
We hope to see you this fall to soak in all that harvest has to offer in Glen Ellen.
Be well,
