HARVEST 2025

Once it starts, it all starts, one thing after the next....

We sneak in a 'vineyard visit' for wine club just in time....

Every few years we offer a vineyard event. This year Labor Day Monday afternoon for a walk through Bohemian Vineyard with 5 wines and 5 food bites.

  

        

We had the street level area for parking at the top of the vineyard. This is where we greeted everyone with chilled Rose', from this exact vineyard.

A little Tomato Gazpacho and a street Corn lettuce cup bite.

Walk through the 1st half of the vineyard to the other side under the oak tree. Here we started with the 1st Pinot from Bohemian Vineyard 2021 with a fig, goat cheese and prosciutto bite.

Continuing to the lower level of the vineyard where we remained for the 3 following vintages of Bohemian, 2022, 2023 and a double Magnum from 2015. 

Vietnamese spring rolls and Duck Confit canapes.

It was a warm day in the 90's but everyone was prepared with hats, sunscreen and umbrellas.

We had a beautiful breeze and found spots with shade to enjoy the vineyard view, the food and wine plus, great company!

We were very fortunate to have a stellar line up of helpers! These very special days are few and far between but when they happen, it feels magical!

 This is a photo of the Muscat Blanc on August 28th when Mat went to check out the status. Looking still a few weeks out. Regular visits to follow up on status will continue until pick call.

  

Bohemian Vineyard is pretty close to finish of veraison by September 5th, now the development will continue. Our coolest vineyard location might not pick till mid October.

Sauvignon Blanc, our 2nd vintage picked Sep. 9th followed by TNT vineyard picked Thursday Sept. 11th and Muscat Blanc. Both arrived at the winery as the crew were finishing coffee.

               That's a quick start to harvest 2025. And then there's this....

Feast above the River -  Sunday September 14th

In the middle of harvest, our Russian River Chamber hosts the feast event on the pedestrian bridge in Guerneville. As one of the boards event founding members, I love to pour at this event and wouldn't miss it. Our community coming together. Weather was perfect too!

MENU

1st course:  Peruvian Potato Salad- Aji Amarillo, wasabi, avocado, hearts of palm salad  Lo & Behold  Healdsburg    Paul Mathew Vineyards 2023 Viognier

Not only was this an incredible dish to look and eat, it was perfect with our Viognier!!

 2nd course: Summer Lasagna Family Style  - Catelli’s – Geyserville

House made focaccia - with burrata + heirloom tomatoes, Team from boon eat + drink

 Paul Mathew Vineyards Pinot Noir, 2013  Russian River Magnum

Main Course: Wood Fire Picanha steak, chimichurri, Seasonal vegetables  - Chefs  Dawn Ranch

Paul Mathew Vineyards Pinot Noir, 2015 Ruxton Vineyard Magnum

  

 Seeing the community come together to enjoy food and wine in such a special location! If you know, you know. The spirit in conversation is something that can't be explained, just enjoyed.

   

                                                            

As harvest continues through September and well into October, we cherish our little bit of down time, special events and our surrounding support.

The reality for us is, this is our busiest time of year. As a small business operator, you do what you gotta do and take the time off when business allows! 

Next up FALL WINE CLUB!!

 

In the thick of it

Once we hit August 1st, there's no slowing down. Bottling August 22nd and harvest looming, it's all blending from one week to the next.

We enjoy entertaining, al fresco dining and living in the summer vibes - beautiful coastal hikes, grilling and flip flops everyday.

               

August is the start of Fall planning, we get our bottling done and start to visit the vineyards on a weekly basis. Definitely a late start as we had a very cool July.

Bohemian Vineyard, our coolest location and almost zero veraison August 1st.

  

  

Harvest - So far, we're estimating a vintage similar to 2023 with a cool July, late start to veraison & solid slow, long growing season = GREAT Vintage. By mid August we started see some color happening.

         

Recipe testing and vineyard walking....

Next up : event in the vineyard Labor Day weekend, Feast above the River Sept. 14th, Winemaker Dinner @ Trillium October 9th and Fall Wine Club!

Here comes the fun!

 Summer is here!!

Like most of everyone summer signifies outdoor activities, al fresco dining, picnics and hopefully some vacation time. Eating very seasonally awesome foods and possibly fresh goodies from the garden, yours or others. Lazy days reading, camping or road tripping. Summer to me means fun in the sun and chilled wines.

For us it's not quite that easy to take time off. We can't just pack up and go, we have a business to run. And with harvest looming, Mat is already visiting vineyards and scoping out the situation. Bottling is also typically mid August to clear the cellar of barrels.

                But we definitely get into the summer foods, grilling, corn on the cob, tomatoes....

The week of  July 4th, we celebrated a friends birthday request of fried chicken. This is usually made once a year using the Thomas Keller, Adhoc cookbook recipe, a lot of work but super yummy!

                                                        Pool shenanigans, backyard chilling.

      

And our Annual Backyard BBQ is always a winner!

Mat's favorite foods to prepare family style

We pulled out a 5 liter library bottle for the event. Only one of each single vineyard bottled per vintage from 2009 - 2016. This 2010 Horseshoe Bend Pinot was a hit. Perfect for a big crowd of our wine family!

                                              

      

And after all the flavors of summer BBQ are consumed, we continue the Jenga competition tradition!

Summer is truly the best!!!

Next up....

                            Annual Library Tasting happened the weekend of July 26/ 27th

cheers

 Read a book

The stages of reading in life is interesting. 

How the current state of mind determines the books we read. We are in a huge reading curve and seems like many friends are in the same mode.

                                       

Today I'm searching for inspiration in memoirs, personal stories and uplifting fiction. Chelsea Handler, Marc Benioff and Melinda Gates to name a few.

Currently we are both reading a lot of books in replacement of watching the news. Both Mat & I will prepare our morning beverage and sink back into bed or the recliner with our book of choice.

                             Mat loves the Dan Brown / Michael Connelly, keeps him distracted from                                                                          the Washington Post and the NY times.

 For years all I read was wine books and anything food, travel and wine related. Some of my all time favorite books. 

In my 30's, the bulk of my intense wine studies, I had 3 or more wine books open all the time. When Mat & I bought our home, we combined our books and of course we both had the Jancis Robinson encyclopedia, so I had to get one signed on my 3rd personal sighting of my mentor.

                                      

To spend a couple of days in Italy or France, as the book places your mind in the location ( sign of a really good book ) and definitely the best books for me. Head to the hammock and enjoy an afternoon away! Blood, bones and butter by Gabriel Hamilton is an all time favorite as well as all of Ruth Reichl and Julia Childs books!

      

                                               

   

Cork dork, Red white and drunk all over are super fun reads!

Cookbooks are another favorite, inspiration for many of our events. Chef specific, season or protein/ veg driven. Our cookbook collection is eclectic, focused and very personal. The Joy of cooking has always been Mat's 'go to' book and chef written are great for tasting room events. Like the Hog Island cookbook when we featured oysters for an evening. Charles Phan Slanted Door is a super popular one that we have done twice. Plus often our club parties feature a CP dish, Thomas Keller and many others.

  

     

Reading menu's is a combined love of ours too. If it's a dinner menu, a wine list and even wine labels, there is a conversation to be had. Both Mat & I clearly enjoy our chosen industry and have a shared passion.

                     

Sometimes silly inspiration for the tasting room is also needed!

We try to support local news paper especially when they mention us and give us high accolades on our wines!

     

I never thought of us as book people but this year has been the year to prove that clearly we are. In the current climate of life, it is so important to have time to remove day to day weight, pick up a book and read. 


                                       

Cheers to books and keep on keeping on!