Author: Judi Scherrer

For me, I try to allow a message to remain in the bottle from the vine’s environment, be it one that speaks of a specific site or from a specific region, if not of an individual variety and the kind of growing conditions that year. But I also want it to give pleasure while delivering the message. Sometimes this is a fine line to walk. If done right, nobody notices the ‘I’ part.

I was so pleased at how the ‘core group’ played together and so unhappy with how a few delicious ‘fatter’ barrels affected the delicate balance that, to do it right, I decided to go for the slimmer, more energetic blend. If I had not been in the cellar actually doing the physical work this opportunity would have been missed.

As we work with different varieties and sites that encompass the warmer and cooler parts of Sonoma County, there is usually a small break in the action of harvest activity. It allows me some rest and time to reflect on the wines we are offering in the fall. This year, things were so steady and constant that this luxury was not available. It was a real positive for the new wines, but takes its toll on me and the amount of time I have to present this offering.

While there are afew wines that age at a similar rate to people, for the most part wine moves much faster than people do. Of course, looking at my dad still running the tractor in his mid-80’s, would make just about any wine on this planet think twice about comparing its vitality and longevity to certain humans’ potentials.