2009 Wines

In 2009, we introduced a third Pinot Noir and a new Viognier from another two of the most sought-after vineyards in California: Tondre Grapefield in the Santa Lucia Highlands and Catie's Corner in the Russian River Valley. Production for the vintage overall was about 600 cases.

The Harvest

2009 was a lovely year for winegrowing, nearly as exceptional as 2007. The summer was generally mild and dry with just the occasional period of elevated temperatures, and the fall continued this trend with conditions that allowed for gentle ripening and harvesting precisely at the points we felt the fruit was at its best. This was the case until October 13, when an intense October rain system drenched California for several days. As a result, in many places, the 2009 vintage was delineated by whether or not picking occurred before this date. Our harvest for 2009 began on September 19 with Pinot Noir from Tondre Grapefield and was finished after we picked the rest of our Pinot Noir, Viognier, and Syrah all by October 3. The fruit for our 2009 Saralee's Vineyard Roussanne was the exception. Sadly, after the rains, botrytis had erupted in our block of Roussanne and the quality did not meet the standards that we require for our wines. But amazingly, the Roussanne in a neighboring block had been maturing slowly enough that its clusters weathered the storm. After two weeks of ensuing sunshine, a small amount of these grapes ripened to perfection and became our miracles of the vintage.

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