Winemaking Update

We’re enjoying unseasonably warm weather during the final picks of harvest, but the vintage has been, as Gustavo rightly says, just about perfect overall. In a little over a week, all our fruit will be in, and we’ll settle into fermenting, pressing, and barreling all those beautiful clusters.

In contrast to 2023, where we were cautious about under ripe fruit, 2024 presents a different challenge—managing ripeness to avoid any overripe, raisin-like characteristics dehydrated by the heat. Our team is working diligently to manage the ripeness and tannin levels of the grapes and I’m very impressed by what I’ve gotten my hands on thus far.

A big perk this year has been continuing our trial with an optical sorter. The revolutionary tool can detect even the slightest flaws, taking only the best grapes and discarding the lesser fruit. As we always do, we pick the fruit under the cool cover of night. It’s the best time for stabilizing acid and sugar levels, retaining the firmness of the fruit, and concentrating aromas and flavors. There’s something magical about picking grapes beneath the stars, with the occasional owl as your only companion—it’s a time when the vineyard feels truly alive.

In this shipment, you’ll experience three very different wines from the 2022 vintage. The Circle Hill Cabernet Sauvignon, built around clone 33, offers a tremendous coupling of fruit and spice. I’m always amazed by the flavor of these just-picked grapes, as they tend to taste like they’ve already been aged in oak. There’s a mountainous freshness to this wine, showing boysenberry jam and cherry juice.

The Rutherford Cabernet Sauvignon is uniquely a Pine Ridge creation. The appellation is renowned for its benchlands, which afford a cocoa powder-like quality to the fruit. Our site boasts unique and fine volcanic soil called tuff on the west end. It so often produces a wine that’s not only concentrated and deep, but serious and ripe with structure.

Finally, the Malbec. Admittedly, this is a varietal I didn’t always love, especially years ago. But I’ve learned to truly appreciate the layer it adds in blends and, as a standalone wine, how it brings incredible lavender and violet notes to its best iterations. Malbec never lacks in terms of mouthfeel and roundness and the color is absolutely insane. The wine is so fragrant, it practically leaps out of the glass.

As we wrap up the harvest season, we’re incredibly thankful for another vintage under our belts and for the continued support of our loyal members. I hope you’re finding time to enjoy the rewards of this year’s efforts and, like me, look forward to a slower pace as the holidays approach—a time to reflect, recharge, and, of course, enjoy a glass of wine.

Josh Widaman
Estate Winemaker

 Viticulture Update

The 2024 growing season was outstanding. Near-perfect weather set the stage, with a healthy dose of early rainfall giving way to steady temperatures and much-needed warmth just when the vines craved it most. Thankfully, we were spared the stubborn heat spikes that have challenged us in recent years.

Yields varied, slightly below average depending on the vineyard site, but the season unfolded with a refreshing sense of normalcy. Budbreak came in early April, followed by bloom in May—right on time for Napa Valley. In fact, the vintage started and wrapped up earlier than 2023, but it felt more in line with the rhythm we strive for. What was especially gratifying was how smoothly vineyard operations went, all under ideal weather conditions. This bodes incredibly well for the wines of 2024, which promise to be nothing short of phenomenal.

What made this year particularly refreshing was the way it seemed to finally shake off the grip of drought that has held the region for so long. With harvest nearly complete, the vines are preparing for their well-earned dormancy. Our attention now shifts to nurturing the soil and ensuring the vineyards are ready for their winter rest through cover crop plantings and compost applications.

Our crews worked tirelessly, enduring sleepless nights and tackling the laborious tasks that bring forth some of the finest fruit in the world. Now, as we reflect on this season’s bounty, we look forward to some well-deserved rest, savoring quality time—and quality wines—with our families. We hope you’ll raise a glass and join us in celebrating this year’s harvest.

Salud and enjoy your wines,

Gustavo Aviña
Viticulture Director