Samantha (Sam) - our first farm dog

Samantha 2001-2008

She lived a great dog's life on the farm.

July has us hopping

We spent the first part of July cleaning out weeds from the vineyard, I can really get obsessed with this duty. We just finished three days of leaf removal and thinning, the result of heavy growth on the last few vines in every rows. Today I mowed for the last time this year in preparation for netting.

The weather has been nice, but windy - in the 80's and a little humid (for the California coast). This past weekend we poured at the Central Coast Wine Classic - always a good time. And the 27th of the month we pour at A Taste of Camarillo.

The vineyard is looking good but one section has suffered from shattered clusters. maybe the result will be a light harvest. This was likely the result of several days of frost during spring bloom. Fingers are crossed that the weather holds out and we enjoy another great harvest.

Getting things done in July

We're getting the normal warm weather with a little wind. The closest fire is the Gap fire in Goleta about 90 miles away. We've seen some haze from this fire and we smell some smoke depending on the direction of the wind. Friends in town mentioned they see a little ash on their cars in the morning. We always worry about fire this time of year, in our small canyon we only have one way out and escape could be dangerous. This coming week will bring another heat wave to the central coast - let's hope fire fighters can make progress before then.

The vines are looking good, growth is slowing in the vines and the grasses have mostly gone to straw. July will include some hoeing in the vineyard, a final mowing, and prep for netting in early August. In the winery we'll be working to install a lift system in the barrel room and begin servicing equipment in preparation for harvest in September.