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2002 was an extraordinary year with near perfect growing conditions in the Napa Valley. Moderate to cool temperatures in spring and early summer gave way to cooler-than-normal July and August which slowed ripening and caused many growers to drop some of their bunches to ensure ripening of the remainder. This concentrated flavors in the 2002 harvest.

The 2002 growing season began with an early bud break in the beginning of April. The season was mild and remarkable for its lack of complications until mid to late August, when we experienced the first spike in temperature. The next heat wave hit toward the end of September, although hastening the picking this added some complexity and character to the vintage. The fruit developed intense, deep ruby and magenta color with concentrated, full fruit flavors of sweet black cherry, blackberry and plum.

The variability of the 2001 vintage required monitoring and patience. The spring, cool and wet, produced a moderate crop of exceptional fruit quality. The summer months were pleasantly warm, but a series of heat spikes in the fall required constant attention to ensure quality. The resulting vintage bore outstanding Cabernet Sauvignon fruit with lush, full flavors of firm, food-friendly acid balance.

The 2003 weather patterns, though a bit erratic, created some pristine growing conditions for the grapes. The spring, cool and wet, produced a moderate crop with exceptional fruit quality. The summer months were pleasantly warm, but a series of heat spikes in the fall required constant attention to ensure quaility. Extra heat in September brought the crops in on time and with force. As a result, 2003 turned out to be another high quality vintage!

The 2003 vintage required monitoring and patience. The cool, wet spring produced a moderate crop of exceptional fruit. The summer months were pleasantly warm, but with a series of heat spikes in the fall it required constant attention to ensure quality. The resulting vintage bore outstanding Chardonnay fruit with lush, full flavors of firm, food-friendly acid balance.

Rich golden yellow with pleasant aromas of fresh citrus, lemons and oranges with hints of honeysuckle. Our 2004 Chardonnay blends the forward fruit flavors of ripe peach and dried apricots for a crisp flavor. With hints of toasted hazelnut and vanilla this is a refreshing and full-bodied Chardonnay that goes with many fine foods or is simply elegant on its own.

The 2003 weather patterns, though a bit erratic, created some pristine growing conditions for the grapes. The spring, cool and wet, produced a moderate crop with exceptional fruit quality. The summer months were pleasantly warm, but a series of heat spikes in the fall required constant attention to ensure quality. Extra heat in September brought the crops in on time and with force. As a result, 2003 turned out to be another high quality vintage!

2002 was an extraordinary year with near perfect growing conditions in the Napa Valley. Moderate to cool temperatures in spring and early summer gave way to cooler-than-normal July and August which slowed ripening and caused many growers to drop some of their bunches to ensure ripening of the remainder. This concentrated flavors in the 2002 harvest.

From our spectacular vineyards in the Arroyo Seco, Monterey and Paso Robles appellations, the grapes ripened under near-perfect growing conditions. After careful destemming and gentle crushing, the must fermented on the skins then was lightly pressed. Shiraz has more intense color and tannins than many red varieties so the importance of gently pressing and aging cannot be overemphasized. The wine was oak aged for 10 months.

2003 was very cool throughout the spring from March through late June. The few days of higher heat in early summer missed this vineyard location and the crop was already harvested when the late summer heat arrived. The 2003 season perfectly illustrates our purpose in choosing this coastal location for the best fruit

The 2004 growing season began almost two weeks ahead of schedule progressing fairly normally until the temperatures rose hastening the start of harvest. September's late heat wave, although quickly speeding up the pace of harvest, produced crops with smaller yields but outstanding fruit quality. The results were smaller fruit clusters with greater complexity and character, full flavor and rich color concentration.