Doon on the Clos was a huge success! At the end of all the planning and phone calls, emails and tweets, people showed up, people drank, they ate, they listened, and they bought wine.
A highlight of the evening was an open discussion on biodynamics as well as the philosophies of Bonny Doon’s Randall Grahm and Clos Pepe’s Wes Hagen. It was spirited, let’s put it that way. As I get some time, we will post some of that content. … Continue Reading
I am a daydreamer. I often spend too much time pondering what could be and playing out scenarios in my head over and over.
Today, we are thrilled to announce that one of those scenarios is coming to fruition.
Over the course of our voyages, we have met many fine and wonderful winemakers, but few more so than Mr. Randall Grahm, the Great Pontificator and President for Life of Bonny Doon Vineyard in Santa Cruz, California. We’ve had the grand privilege of sharing some wonderful moments with him, such as the dedication of Popelouchum, his new organic (bio-dynamic, bio-charred, bio-charged) vineyard in San Juan Bautista. … Continue Reading
We travel a lot. Not just for A Long Pour, but in general. It seems we are always moving around and popping up in some unexpected place doing some unexpected thing.
We were privlidged to be invited to a few great places in the last few weeks and we wanted to share them with you. … Continue Reading
I love many things about Santa Barbara. The architecture, the parks, the weather, the proximity to both mountain and sea and of course the wine. But I also love the community feel, people in Santa Barbara know each other, there is a sense of genuine community.
So it should be no surprise that when it came to buying a wedding dress, we went local. Directly across the street from Cafe Buenos Aires where we will have our reception, and below the office of one of Damaris’ clients is Mary Linn’s Bridal. It is a beautiful shop situated directly next to the stunning Arlington Theater. … Continue Reading
Today is a good day. A really, really good day. I haven’t felt so relaxed in months. After finishing the longest day of the vintage yesterday I knew that we wouldn’t have to wake up for a 3 am pick this morning, so I initially reserved the right to go out with the crew for a few drinks last night—stay up late and be crazy—like at least 10:00 pm!
But (lo and behold), come 7:18 pm I was man down in our bed, which is a bit later than I have been going to sleep, but not exactly a bedtime that denotes an iron man party-when-I-can mentality. And I’m OK with that. I didn’t wake up until after 7 am and those 12 hours of pure and unadulterated sleep were a revelation. … Continue Reading
I have seen two of Bob Davids’ homes. One is a gorgeous tropical pavilion in the foothills of Mount Batur, Bali. The other, is a 20′ tow behind trailer perched high on a hillside overlooking his Sta. Rita Hills vineyard. The first I saw on page 68 of August’s Architectural Digest and the latter I saw in person a few weeks ago.
To understand the home in Indonesia, you need to know that Mr. Davids did well for himself as CEO of one of the world’s largest toy companies. To understand the second, the trailer, which seems an odd choice for a man with the ability to live where he pleases, you need to understand the vineyard he planted and what he has accomplished on its wind blown slopes. It is an unlikely home for both Davids and the Pinot Noir grapes he loves.
Welcome once again to the Year in the Vineyard Blog. We continue with our new High Def video blogs, to give you as much visual input as possible. There’s times when the written word can describe what’s happening in a vineyard, but I’m a big believer in getting out in the vines when I have visitors and getting them to see, touch, smell and understand what’s going on here.
With this in mind, I would like to continue posting blogs each week from the vineyard and the winery so you can get an intimate view and understanding of my job as a vineyard manager and winemaker for Clos Pepe. This week we post part 2 of the barrel tasting: the Pinot Noir, and a ‘Walk in the Fog’—my take on how the fruit and the 2010 vintage is maturing. … Continue Reading
Let’s take a slightly different view of the wine world this week. I’d like to leave the nuts and bolts of vineyard management for a few moments and discuss the descriptive system of wine appellations in the United States, a Federal program overseen by the TTB, or Tax and Trade Bureau. But before you start to think that this is going to be a boring blog full of bellicose bureaucracy, let me guarantee that I will be injecting the subject with enough interesting anecdote and incisive commentary to keep it interesting and entertaining (although pouring a tall glass of pinot noir makes any of my blogs more palatable).
First, a quick vineyard update. The weather has taken another cool, foggy and windy turn as low pressure trofs continue to move over the Central Coast, keeping us in the high 60’s. While most folks don’t think about June in California as sweater weather, it really has been. There have been some warm days, as well, but the nights have been in the high 40’s and the vines are growing slowly, methodically, and finishing their fruit set and marching toward bunch closure in a very patient and easy manner. Cool weather means we’ll turn off the irrigation for a few weeks until we see a warm up and an increase in evapotranspiration, which is a measurement of how much water is both being used by a plant and how much is evaporating out of the soil. … Continue Reading
Wes Hagen makes it easy for one to get excited about visiting him at the Sta. Rita Hills vineyard he manages. “Put your thinking cap on,” he told me, “this place may blow your mind,” Sta. Rita Hills has certainly blown his.
The guy is nuts about his little slice of pinot paradise called Clos Pepe, and rightfully so. The Sta. Rita Hills is a special part of the Central Coast, and Wes appreciates the piece of land he farms maybe more than any other winemaker I have met. He talks fast and colorfully often using wild hand gestures, like a magician crafting an illusion.
When we first spoke over email, he encouraged me to visit him at Clos Pepe (pronounced clo, with a long O and no S, and peppy), because as he said, “you have to kick the dirt and breathe the air to get this place.” Wes gets it. … Continue Reading
How do you measure a man? How do you judge his life’s work? Is it by wealth, by notoriety, the opinions of others? For the banker, is it by the quantity of his assets, or the doctor by the lives he saved? What about the winemaker, is it his vineyard, his winery, his wine? How do [...]
I have seen two of Bob Davids’ homes. One is a gorgeous tropical pavilion in the foothills of Mount Batur, Bali. The other, is a 20′ tow behind trailer perched high on a hillside overlooking his Sta. Rita Hills vineyard. The first I saw on page 68 of August’s Architectural Digest and the latter I [...]
