10/08/2026
Our w**e director Alex went to help out with harvest in Napa this season. Here are some field notes from her behind-the-scenes w**emaking adventure!
Pressing the grapes allows the juice to be extracted. The skins, stems and seeds are separated. 🧃
These big tanks get filled with grapes after the free run juice is extracted. Then they get shoveled out and pressed again, for the press w**e to be blended back in for tannin and structure.
Different weather patterns affect every vintage differently. This year California had high temps and drought conditions which created smaller grape clusters. 🍇
Hand harvesting allows w**emakers to use whole cluster fermentation or gentle whole bunch pressing.
As the grapes ferment, they need to be mixed so this tool is used to ‘punch down’ the ‘cap’ aka the floating skins, seeds, and stems back into the fermenting juice. This helps to extract color, flavor, and tannins from the grape skins.
Action shot of chardonnay grapes headed to the press. Just look at that color!
I got to explore everything around the w**ery, from the vineyards where everything starts to the barrel room where w**e is being aged.
Then off to Napa. Just gorgeous!
Tasting rose made with 100% pinot noir grapes from Russian River Valley straight from the tank! (it was delicious)
I tasted 35 different w**es for our Collectors Series! (if you know me you know no white shirt is safe lol)
Cabernet Sauvignon grapes get de-stemmed by this machine to streamline the w**e making process. All w**e is often sampled and analyzed to make sure everything is on track!
I got to help out with some punchdowns & it smelled amazing!