What an incredible spring it has been here in the Russian River Valley. The unseasonably warm temperature brought on a flurry of activity in the vineyard during the month of March and into the first week of April.


Bud Break: March 12th 2004
The vines have awakened from their winter nap. Notice the small clusters evident even at this young stage in their life.




Tying the Vines: March 19th 2004
Cordon arms are tied to the wire trellis system to give the vine a structure to carry the weight of the canopy and fruit.




Suckering the Vines: April 5th 2004
Poorly positioned or weak shoots are stripped from the vine. This will leave only healthy, fruitful shoots to grow.




Bloom and Set: April 28, 2004
Bloom occurred about two weeks earlier than normal. In this picture, you will see the blossoms on some clusters, while other clusters have "set" the fruit.




Tucking Vines: May 10, 2004
In the foreground of this picture, you will see that the shoots have been "tucked" behind the "catch" wire of the trellis system. In the background, this task has not been done. Leaving the "canes" without support from the trellis can have several adverse affects such as; the canes breaking off, limited fruit exposure and inability to work effectively in the vine row.

Leaf Removal: June 28, 2004
Leaves are removed to expose the clusters to light and air movement.  The light on the berries enhance both color and flavor.  The air movement aids in reducing the conditions for disease development and improves spray coverage.

Fruit Dropped: July 26, 2004
Slow ripening fruit is dropped at or after veraison to assure optimum fruit quality is delivered to the wineries.