January
    
In the vineyard
Annual pruning of the vines.

At the winery:
We will NOT be participating inthe RRWR Winter Wineland Event...our wines are selling OUT and we do not have enough to pour for the 2000 people that visit the winery...BUT, we will be open for tating and meeting people who hate crowds but lve discovering rare and wonderful wines.

February
  
In the vineyard
The vines are dormant, BUT the wild mustard is blooming, the hills are green and the pace slower, giving us time to appreciate the exquisite beauty of Dry Creek Valley.

At the winery:
Vine Club members are treated with a gift of chocolate on Valentines Day. Smooch! We love YOU!

March
  
In the vineyard
Wild flowers carpet our valley, and the air is sweet with anticipation of spring. The buds on our vines are swelling. Don’t forget your camera!

At the winery:
Vine Club March shipments go out.

Our winery produces ONLY 2500 cases of handcrafted wine a year. We no longer offer FUTURES on our precious wines, but we do lok forward tohaving visitors on both Barrel tasting weekends. Wine club members, prepare for a treat...RESERVES!!

April
  
In the vineyard
Bud break! There is only one word to describe the month of April in Dry Creek Valley: breathtaking!

At the winery:
The Winegrowers of the Dry Creek Valley invite you to celebrate our world-class appellation. Passport to Dry Creek Valley is the most anticipated event of the year. Tickets are sold by lottery with the demand far exceeding the supply. As chefs, this is where we strut! As winemakers, this is where we glory! Contact www.wdcv.com for ticket information.

The last weekend in April, Vine Club members are treated to “Pig on the Pad,” our way of saying “thank you” to our most valued customers.

may – June
  
In the vineyard
The vines flower. We sucker the vines of nonessential canes, and remove the base leaves to allow sunlight to reach the interior of the vines. In June, we drop excess fruit to intensify flavor. Our roses, lavender, jasmine and olives bloom; the fragrance is almost as intoxicating as our wine!

At the winery:
We greet guests visiting from across the country, especially those on romantic honeymoons in wine country.

july
  
In the vineyard
The canes of our old vines are now heavy with fruit. It is no longer possible to enter the vineyard with any machines and all work must be done by hand. The days are hot and nights are cool, perfect for glorious Zinfandel.

At the winery:
We participate at the annual Taste of Sonoma, sponsored by the Sonoma County Wineries Association. Visit www.sonomawine.com/showcase.html for information.

august
  
In the vineyard
Lack of rain really stresses our vines, which is a good thing for the grapes! The heat is concentrating the sugar content and intensifying flavor.

At the winery:
We participate in annual Taste of Dry Creek Valley sponsored by the Winegrowers of Dry Creek Valley. This is a media and trade event ONLY designed to showcase Dry Creek wines. If you are a member of the media or trade, please contact us for an invitation. There will be panel discussions, luncheons at the various wineries, vineyard tours and tasting from barrel.

september-November
  
In the vineyard
The dry weather becomes evident in the color of the vine’s leaves, Those that are most stressed curl and turn the brilliant colors that we will enjoy later in the fall. Rain is a constant threat to the crop, as wet grapes are extremely vulnerable to mildew and rot. The sugars begin to climb and weekly random samples are taken from the vineyard to determine their degree of Brix, which is a measurement of sugar. We strive to pick at a perfect 24.5, which allows the wine to stay in balance in regards to its alcohol content and acidity.

This is also the month we bottle last year’s vintage. Before dawn on September 3rd an enormous fourteen wheel mobile bottling truck slowly navigates our narrow driveway and maneuvers itself into position to receive the wines. The week prior to bottling has been spent blending the wines, every decision being critical. David spends untold hours calculating the exact percentages of each varietal that will ultimately become the stellar wine that our customers have come to expect. All wine in barrel must be moved to tank, blended thoroughly and filtered. Our corks have been printed, sterilized and delivered. The foils have been embossed and shipped from France. Labels are approved by the ATF, printed and gold foiled. The glass (some 24,000 bottles) arrives and David stacks it as high as possible with the forklift on the rear pad…a nerve-racking process to say the very least! We adjust the fill line, check all hoses and fittings, and finally the bottling begins. A second semi truck slowly backs in to the driveway to be filled with the pallets of new wine that are now ready to rest in a climate-controlled cellar until they are released many months later. At the end of every bottling day, we collapse exhausted and exhilarated, tired and thankful.

At the winery:
Visitors from across the country begin to make their way to wine country to experience the excitement of crush. David scurries about like a lunatic; it’s not easy being a one-man team!! Picking bins are scrubbed, fermenting bins are sanitized, and picking knives are sharpened. The bladder press is positioned on the pad along with the crusher-destemmer. The pitchfork and shovels are shined and ready to go. The barrels are sanitized, bungs counted, and lines cleaned. Chemicals and yeast are delivered. The scale is calibrated and certified. The pump is readied, the tanks are sanitized, and all equipment fine-tuned. Sugar samples are taken almost daily and picking schedules are finalized. We allow our grapes to hang as long as possible and we strive to be ready when they are!

Picking in our vineyard is done by hand, and very early in the morning so the grapes will be crushed while still cool. Each half-ton bin is filled with fruit, weighed, recorded and moved to the crush pad. We sort through the grapes for rocks, rot or anything else not desirable. David and the pitchfork become inseparable! The pad swells with neighbors, customers and friends. Crush is frenetic, a race, and David is in his element. Attending the University of Michigan, he enjoyed a full scholarship as a sprinter, and still holds records in New York State. Now, Mother Nature sets the mark but it is up to David to make the wine. Our wines have been honored with medals and ribbons, loyal customers and fans, but for David, the reward is the sweet satisfaction of being in the race!

After the grapes are crushed, they must go through fermentation. At Yoakim Bridge, we use one temperature-controlled tank, and one-ton, open-topped fermentation bins for the process. Every four hours around the clock, David manually punches down the “cap” that is formed by carbon dioxide that pushes up the skins and seeds. This is a result of the yeast as it eats the sugar in the grapes, making wine. The wine greatly benefits from being exposed to the skins and seeds, producing greater tannins and color. The wine’s temperature and degree of Brix is recorded; for us, sleep is precious!

Visitors to the winery love this experience. The air is perfumed with the heady smell of wine and everyone seems to appreciate the physical effort of “punch down” when given the opportunity to give it a try! “Whew! This is tough!”…Yes, it is!

Once the wine is “dry,” the “free run” is drained, and the skins must be pressed.

The bins are rolled out on to the pad once again, and David begins the process by filling a five- gallon bucket up with the skins, and pouring it into the press. Many “buckets” later, the press is filled sufficiently and the rubber bladder is inflated, ever so gently the wine is pressed. Our latest press operation ended on Christmas Eve a few years back, this process takes time! The seeds, skins and stems (pomace) are returned to the vineyard two years later, making an excellent, nutritious addition to the soil.

After the wine is pressed, it is once again blended in tank before being placed in barrel to undergo secondary fermentation. Cellar work now consists primarily of topping the wines in barrel. One by one, cup by cup, it must be done. All crush equipment must be sanitized, and stored until next year.

The vineyard turns to brilliant colors of fall. The hills and valley are ablaze and there seems to be a palpable sense of relief and thankfulness in the air. Migrating birds, wild turkeys, boar and deer feed on the dropped fruit everywhere. Many, including our little Schnauzer Ethyl, get more than a little drunk! We harvest our olives. The air becomes wonderfully crisp. The wine is sleeping, and we relish the slower pace.

December
  
In the vineyard
The vines drop all their remaining leaves and the valley floor once again becomes visible. The town of Healdsburg gets all dressed up for the Holidays, and guests are delighted with the small town excitement and festive activities.

At the winery:
Customers purchase our wines for their own Holiday celebrations and gift giving. Many give a gift of our Vine Club to their wine-loving friends and relatives, as our wines are unavailable anywhere but in our tasting room or through our web site.
Every year Virginia wakes up to a new present from David under the Christmas tree…it is wrapped differently, but somehow always looks the same...a new oak barrel! “For ME?! Oh, David, you shouldn’t have!” This year she hopes to find it filled with Yoakim Bridge wine. Now That is a present!