The replanting of the entire RSV SLD estate vineyard was completed just before the two year anniversary of the devastating fires of 2017.

Never the one to be comfortable with the pretense of wine, I wanted to have some fun.

The Carneros was in its infancy as a wine region when we planted the Three Amigos Vineyard forty years ago. 

Ever wish you could get a “do over” – start anew once experience has been gained and facts acquired?

Can we respect the past while charting a course into the future? I sure hope so.

There is a fantasy that winegrowing and winemaking is glamorous – that it is all just hobnobbing in a wine cave. I hate to burst your bubble but we’re just farmers that make a fancy, delicious beverage from our crops.

When you work against nature, bad things happen.

I grew up with a burrito in one hand and chopsticks in the other.

Merlot was our salvation. Merlot almost destroyed us. Both of these statements are true. 

Make the world go away, and get it off of my shoulder…

A few things helped get me through the challenges of the past year: family, the home garden, music – both listening to others and attempting to play – home cooking, wonderful beverages and a great dessert.

The smiling Frenchman pulled a bottle of Burgundy from his cave. He turned his back to obscure the label, dusted off the bottle and carefully removed the cork.