March 3, 2010

Santa Rita Hills, CA.

In which Wes discusses the end of the 2009 calendar year, discusses the coming growing season and waxes poetic on the number on a calendar changing.

I have this thing about New Years.  It's one of the holidays that I treasure, because it actually signifies something that hasn't been revised into meaninglessness.  Christmas is just the ancient pagan festival of Festivus respun by the Church to keep the peasants confused.  Easter?  Verunal equinox and ancient Spring Fertility rights.  Ever wonder what chocolate and rabbits have to do with Jesus?  But New Years is one of those ecstatic rituals that has not been co-opted or diluted by the morality police.  We won't let them.  MADD can remind us not to drink and drive, but if they tried to take our cocktails away, we would beat those nouveau-axe-wielders down like they owed us money.  Lots of money.  New Years' is ours and they SHOULD be afraid of millions of amateur drunks wearing stupid hats and singing an oddly Celtic-sounding  song that no one knows past the first five words.  It's ritual the way it was in the Old World, complete with mind-numbing beverages, societal permissiveness toward intoxication, and even the potential for having rushed and sloppy sex in a closet somewhere.  Ahhh..the Old Time Religion....

..in which Wes wraps up harvest, gets ready to wrap up winemaking, and finishes the weekly Blog cycle and sums up 2009 in rare and interesting ways...

Year in the Vineyard, Week #30

Week #29:

Rain: The Pause That Refreshes

In which Wes and the crew continue down the righteous path of cold fruit, outrageously aromatic fermentations and long soaks in the Jacuzzi knocking back beers Liam left behind…

Year in the Vineyard, Week #28

…in which Wes, Chanda, Jackson, Steve and the Clos Pepe crew burn the candle at both ends and get over the ‘hump’ of harvest.

Year in the Vineyard

Week #27

..In which Wes, Chanda, Steve and the crew experience the wonder of night picking, some pinot noir is pressed into barrel, the fruit’s looking beautiful, and we’re all getting a little giddy…

Year in the Vineyard, Week #26

In which Wes tries to keep up with the fruit, the weather and the expectations of a dozen crafty winemakers…and finally fixes a hyperlink,

...in which Wes and the crew finish some Rose' and start getting ready for the onslaught of harvest next week.  Oh yeah, and the puppy, can't forget the puppy...

Year in the Vineyard with Wes Hagen, Clos Pepe Vineyards

In which Wes and the crew take the first field samples, get ready for bottling the 2008’s, and watch the fruit ripen as the heat arrives for the weekend.

Year in the Vineyard, Week #22

By Wes Hagen, VM/WM Clos Pepe Vineyards and Estate Wines