The Harvest from Hell

This harvest has been the wildest ride we've experienced. As the record cool season progressed, we got more and more excited about the quality potential--full flavors at lower potential alcohol levels--and then the rain hit. The first few days of cold rain weren't so bad, but the full day of muggy drizzle we got the second time around ignited a grape disease called botrytis. Botrytis is also known as rot, so we worried that the vintage would be lost. We pulled leaves around our grapes to expose the them to more sun, and then, since we are organic and don't have anything much to spray for the disease, watched the weather and prayed. We actually stayed pretty free of disease. Then, last week it dried out and warmed up, slowing the progress of the disease and allowing flavors to come back in the fruit.....some really great flavors. The vintage was back on, and we scheduled our home vineyard to be picked last Friday. 

Separating the Refosco and the Petit verdot

That was supposed to be the end of the drama. But it was just starting. At 6:00 am, we heard a tractor out in the vineyard. The workers had been picking all night at a neighbors, finished early, and came to start picking with headlamps. Only I hadn't showed them where the Refosco, Cabernet franc, Petit verdot, and Merlot were. If our tractor had started up like it was supposed to, they would have mixed all the different varieties together, which would have been a disaster. But luckily, with only one tractor, they started at the other end of the vineyard....this is the first time I've been glad the tractor wouldn't start. 

Luckily the Refosco grapes are much bigger

After carefully explaining which variety is which, a yellow jacket nest exploded out of the ground, stinging all of the workers. The workers ran screaming, stripping off their shirts, while I rolled on the ground smashing the stinging yellow jackets that were on my back and brushing them out of my hair. When the brave few started picking again (a bunch refused to keep working), they forgot about keeping the fruit separate, and it got mixed anyway. We managed to salvage the varieties by hand sorting the fruit back into different bins based on the size and shape of the clusters.

Finally, the old wooden bridge over the ditch separating the forklift and truck from the vineyard gave out while a tractor was crossing it with a load of fruit. Luckily the tractor didn't roll over, and we piled plywood over the gaps to try and finish out the harvest.

When we got the fruit to the winery, the Cabernet franc weighed 666 lbs! Truly the harvest from Hell.

Silver lining: the fermenting wine is awesome--best yet.

The Sensuous Fig

The fig tree is the symbol of abundance, of fertility, and of sweetness in several cultures. The edible fig is one of the first plants that was cultivated by humans and it figures in the founding of many cultures and religions. The first California figs were planted in 1769 in the gardens of the mission at San Diego, and are known as "Mission" figs. 

One of the many treasures on our property is the Mission fig tree. But like many other things we discovered when we bought this "fixer upper" property (house, vineyard, barn, etc.), the fig tree had been long neglected and was in need of Steve's green thumb. 


After a couples years of love and care, we started to get some great tasting figs. And this year, when our grapes, peaches, and plums all produced a much smaller crop than usual, we got a bumper crop of figs! We picked about 30 pounds of figs this weekend from one tree. We're turning those yummy and VERY perishable figs into Fig Jam. And FYI, the Fig Jam, as well as many of our other jams, jellies, butters, vinegar, etc, are available if you join our Wine Club.

The Ivy Tree

Bee getting nectar from a sage plant in the hedgerow

We purchased our property about five years ago, and after a three year transition, the property was certified as organic. As part of the transition to organic, we were able to get a grant from the federal government to plant a hedgerow along the ditch on the west side of our property. We planted drought tolerant, native California plants that flower almost year-round to provide pollen and nectar for bees and other beneficial insects and wildlife. The winter months are tough for the beneficial insects and bees because there aren't a lot of plants that flower during this time and therefore not a lot of food. That's when the bees use up their reserves of the honey in the hive.

Hedgerow

Our house was built by the Bruno family around 1903. Their son George, who was born in and died in this house, brought his bride Gladys to live here when they married in the 1930's. Neighbors and relatives have told us stories about what an accomplished horticulturalist George Bruno was and we live with constant reminders of his innovations and the traditions brought by his Italian immigrant parents.

Ivy tree

One of those traditions is a crazy "tree" next to our house referred to as an "ivy tree." Everyone who comes to visit remarks about the tree because it's so unusual and so beautiful. It's actually two different ivy plants vining up a pole with a defunct TV antenna on top (the kids have no idea what a TV antenna is).

The amazing thing about the ivy tree is that, starting around the middle of October, when most plants are going dormant, it begins to flower and continues to flower for about a month! It seem like all of the bees from the whole Napa Valley come to this tree, because if you stand anywhere near the tree at this time of year, it sounds like it's alive because there are SO MANY bees buzzing.....those old Italian farmers knew what they were doing when they planted that tree.

Ribolla gialla

      

Harry harvesting

     This weekend we harvested the Ribolla gialla - one of our favorite annual farm activities.
    In 2005, Steve travelled to Fruili, Italy with good friend and mentor George Vare, to learn the correct way to grow and make wine out of the Ribolla gialla that George grafted into his vineyard in Napa. This ancient variety is only grown in the Fruili region in Italy, in the adjacent part of Slovenia, where it is known as "Rebula," and on the Greek island of Kefalonia where it is known as "Robola."
    During that 2005 trip to Fruili, Steve met with some of the premiere Ribolla producers including Radikon, Gravner, Miani, and Simcic. Steve came back inspired by the richness and freshness of the wines, and the wines of Miani, in particular, became a big influence on the style of the Matthiasson White Wine blend.

Ribolla gialla

     In 2007, we grafted some Ribolla gialla into our own vineyard. We harvested our first crop in 2008, with the kids picking and then stomping on the grapes. This wine was made in the style of Radikon and Gravner, who ferment the grapes on the skins (more like a red wine). The resulting wine, our 2008 Matthiasson Ribolla gialla, turned out just fantastic--extremely nutty and spicy, with the wet stone/seashell character  that defines Ribolla gialla. However, our 2009 attempt chose to become an exotic vinegar instead of wine (which we aged for 18 months and will offer to our wine club!). Our 2010 is doing much better, and the quality of the just harvested 2011 is amazing!