We started harvest with the early varieties and the crop is a little smaller than average in size. The quality is looking good. We will be having our Vineyard Tour in October, later than in the past. It will give you a good look at the late varieties like Cabernet, Malbec, Syrah, Sangiovese, and Nebbiolo.

2023 Chardonnay, Goodchild: The Goodchild Vineyard has always been the perfect place for Chardonnay. Have I ever told you that I am the original Chardonnay grower for Kendall Jackson? Since day one. I did that for 6-7 years and they ended up with my vineyard directly across the river from Goodchild, which is still the key vineyard for Kendall Jackson Chardonnay. Our 2023 vintage is very similar to the great 2022. You will notice that both had alcohols of 12.5, which is less than what we have done in the past. We wanted to make a great wine with less alcohol, which we achieved by getting the grapes to ripen at lower sugar levels, not an easy thing to do.

2020 Malbec: Still the most overlooked grape variety in California. They gave it to the Argentinians. Cahors in France makes the best Malbec in the world. I’ve been there and I think our Malbec is exceptional. I have had a chance to expose it to people from South America and Europe and they wonder why California isn’t growing it. I had been recommending the 2019 to everybody, and I think our 2020 is even better. Great color, elegant mouthfeel - it shows exceptional maturity in the grapes. Softness with power.

2020 Petite Sirah: You never have to question color in Petite Sirah. You have to get it ripe enough so that the tannins don’t bite. This one was made from our 45-year-old vines. We have to let the fruit hang to get plenty of maturity. There is a hint of fresh mint in the nose and on the finish and it’s a positive thing. I enjoyed tasting both the Malbec and the Petite Sirah at the same time.

It’s September and I have another birthday approaching. There is no way I can be that old!