Time has come for the first Racking. Because of the length of time during this secondary fermentation, sediments are realized. During this process the sediments, or "Lees" are purged and discarded. Materials and Supplies are carefully sanitized and set out. Rich and Lynn carefully mix a blend of Oak Chips that will be added to the wine during this process. They have selected the American Oak, and the French Oak to flavor the Wine. The Wine clarifies as it is slowly transferred into ,fresh containers and is prepared for aging. The first Racking yields 24 gallons of wine.

The Wine is stored in a Custom Built Wine Cellar. Unique in design and construction, Rich built a Cellar that features maximum storage. The walls and flat ceiling are constructed of 3 1/2 inches of rigid insulation, equivilent to R-25. This creates an ideal atmosphere with very little change in temperature. Custom storage racks and dark room characteristics complete the properties of our Wine cellar.

January 15, 2003

Over the Holidays we had a chance to check on the wine. We looked for clarity, and sampled it for flavor. We knew that topping off the bottles was going to be neccesary. After a rather lengthy search, and with the help of the staff at the Lodi Wine Center, we were able to obtain a rare bottle of Joseph Narcizo Alicante Bouschet 2001. We brought the bottles up to level.

The clarity of the wine was perfect. A second racking may not be neccesary. We will continue to monitor the performance of the wine as it continues to mature.

The vines have gone into a dormant state. This is normal during the winter months. We have stopped irrigating the vineyard until the spring, or a change in weather. The leaves changed in color, showing the wonderful colors of fall. Our Alicante Bouschet vines have a marvelous deep burgundy color.

We received some rather unique gifts over the Holidays to add to our collection of wine related items. One was a unique wine bottle cork. This cork was a ceramic art piece of a woman stomping grapes in a wooden wine barrel. The expression on her face reveals the sheer joy one feels in creating something rare and unusual. Another cherished gift was that of an antique grape press, circa late 1800's. Although weathered and rusty, with a few hours of loving care we restored it back into operating condition. It is quite the conversation piece. A second identical press, along with a much larger vintage grape press are in the process of being restored as of this writing. We also received a very unique candle that looks likes a wine filled glass.

We Treasure each and everyone of these wonderful gifts and honored to be able to share these pictures with you.

March 7, 2003

As we near the end of winter, our days grow longer and we welcome the arrival of Spring. Our surrounding Cherry Trees have turned into large bouquets of pink and white blossoms. Our Winter precipitation has been normal. Although still very cold in the evenings, we have been experiencing warm, and clear days. Our last chore was to rototil the rows, and spray for weed control. We have now come to the time where we have to prune the young vines and train them to grow on our elaborate Trellis System.

Rich and son Jared arrived at the VineYard. They made a stop at Valley Vineyard Supply to pick-up additional needed materials. First step was to disconnect the irrigation system at each vine. Each and every grow tube was removed and each vine was carefully inspected. The first year has seen vigorous growth. We will prune to remove much of the vine, leaving just 2 buds on the developing vine. Any flower clusters that show will be removed. This is the time when proper training and continued root development is most important. As Rich and Lynn carefully tend to the process of pruning, Jarred begins the task of Training Wire installation. The posts are precisely drilled for accurate wire alignment. Proper positioning is essential for maximum expossure to sunlight. A properly trained vine is the
heart of grape growing, and the process on which everything else depends. Our Unique Trellis system will keep the leaves up in the sun, and the fruit hanging in the shade below. Once the prunning process is completed, we re-install the grow tubes, and re-connect the irrigation system.

April, 6 2004

The vines continue to thrive and grow in strength. We have removed the protective grow tubes and continue the ongoing task of controlling the surrounding ground cover.
We have bottled our 2002 Zinfandel and tasted the wine a few weeks later. We discovered it to be near undrinkable. After consulting with some accomplished vitners we discovered our wine went into a state of "bottle shock". We were instructed to let the wine settle and continue to age. Weeks later another taste assured us that the wine has stabilized, and will continue to improve. We learned to let the bottle breathe for a long time once it's opened.
With the vineyard care well in hand, are attention refocuses on options for our 2003 bottling.
For this vintage we chose to purchase grapes from a well established grower. Teldeske Vineyards in Dry Creek Valley, Sonoma was our pick. We purchased a 1/2 ton of their healthiest Red Zinfandel grape.
To help process our wine we purchased additional wine making equipment. A professional Italian made Crusher/De-stemmer, a state of the art Macro Bin, and a 59 gallon American Oak aging barrel and stand.
Our crush produced 61 gallons with a Brix (sugar content) of 27. The Ph 3.48, at a tempurature of 78 degrees. An enzyme was used to help with color extraction pulled from the skins. We stored the wine in our new barrel tasting often to monitor oak flavor. We incresed the heat in our processing room to 87 degrees to help finish the fermintation process. At four months we decided to rack the wine.
We then purchased more professional wine processing equipment. A high quality Italian Wine Pump, a High Capacity Stainless Steel Vat with variable pressure control, and an Argon Gas Bottle with Hoses and Regulators.
The pump made the transfer of the wine from barrel to vat a clean, sanitary, and effortless procedure. The gas is used to extend the naturation process and to shroud the wine from air. The Stainless Steel Vat has an inflatable bladder to insure a positive seal.
Upon transfer we realized we still have a little residual sugar, but we are hoping the wine will go dry.
Recent tasting has made us confident that our 2003 Vintage to be of exceptional quality.