Autumn At The Vineyard

Autumn in Carmel Valley is a special time. September and October are the favorite months for the locals, weather-wise. The mornings are crisp yet the sun warm enough to sweeten the grapes before they are harvested, giving forth the sweet nectar that become our superb wines in the skilled hands of our winemaker, Ridge Watson.

The colors in Carmel Valley in the Autumn would rival those in any artist's pallette. The light settles upon the vineyard and breaks up into every color of the rainbow. It is truly a special time.

We look forward with great anticipation, to our Harvest Celebration with our wine club members on October 4th. We love to share the magic that is Harvest Time here in the Cachagua Valley. If you are interested in joining us, please call us at the Village Tasting Room at 831-659-8100.

Harvest!

Here’s “The Rest of The Story” many of you have requested...

Joullian Estate Harvest started Tuesday, September16th, versus the 12th....grapes are a little ahead of last year...we wanted Sauvignon Blanc a little riper, hence 4 extra day delay. Semillon will come in late next week, and we will probably harvest Primitivo as this year’s Harvest Party “Stompers vs Crushers” varietal on Oct. 4th. Zinfandel, and Zin blend varietals (Aleatico, Grenache, Petite Sirah, etc.) , Syrah and Merlot all are about average to above average crop, and at least 7-10 days ahead of last year. Cabernet Franc is down a little due to frost on April 24th, and Cabernet off nearly 50% for the same reason. We hope harvest finishes in early Nov this year...feels like an Early Fall... the Poison Oak on the hillsides has been red for over a month, and the tarantulas are starting to come out of their nests (old timers say rain’s just 2 weeks away when tarantulas start movin’).

Our Chardonnay from Santa Lucia Highlands and Arroyo Seco will start Friday, September 19th, and continue into Mid-October. The crop is down about 10-20%, but the quality and sugar/acid balance looks very good... just give us the Woodstock Cheer”NO RAIN, NO RAIN, NO RAIN” for about another 60 days and this will be a top vintage !!

Note the lack of any leaves, rot etc in the pictures of the merlot in bins!!! We spend a lot of time and $$ sorting out M.O.G. (Material Other than Grape) so the grapes look like supermarket quality... this is one of the most important facets of top-flight winemaking. Even winery sorting cannot compare to removing M.O.G. as each lug is dumped....we pay one to two people with an eye for perfection to do this on each tractor, as well as the driver. And we don’t have to “fix” problem wines in the winery due to problem grapes... fixed wines are rarely ever great wines, period. Keep buying, drinking and selling as much wine as possible...your confidence , enjoyment and support is what makes this all worthwhile.

Salud!!

Ridge Watson

Harvest is upon us!

Wow! It is hard to believe that it is already mid-September! Where did 2008 go?

Joullian Vineyards is now in the season of harvest. Right now we are keeping an eye on our Sauvignon Blanc, which is the first varietal that we harvest. Currently, the brix is at 22 degrees, so we are now waiting and watching for those little grapes to get to 23 degrees. We are working to make sure that the conditions are just right for making the terrific Sauvignon Blanc that many of you love and expect from Joullian.

In preparation for the harvest, our hardworking vineyard crew has just done the last suphur spray at 200 gallons per acre to make sure that we have gotten all of the residual ash off of the vines. As you may recall, the Basin Complex fire came a little too close for comfort a couple of months ago, and spread ash all over the Carmel Valley for miles.

Now, on a personal note, we want to wish our Tasting Room Queen, Deb a happy birthday! Many of you have had the pleasure of meeting Deb when you are in Carmel Valley. She is probably the first smiling face that you have gotten to meet from Joullian. So with our glasses raised we wish Deb a very happy birthday, with many more! Cheers!

We're Havin' A Party...

It's that time of year again. Harvest is upon us. It is the time of year when the leaves turn color. The vineyards take on the beautiful colors and of golds and reds. The grapes start to swell and become heavy with the sweet juiciness that means that they will finally begin their journey from fruit to wine. This is the end of the fruit being warmed and sweetened in the sun. Now they will be in the place where art and science commune under the skillful hands of our winemaker, Ridge Watson.

Harvest is such a special time for wineries. It is the beginning and the end all in the cycle of the vineyard and winery. It is a time of celebration. Every year we have our Harvest Celebration for our wine club members. This year the name of the celebration is the Festa della Vendemmia on October 4th up at our winery location in Cachagua. It will, of course, feature "The Return of the Stompers vs. the Crushers." Our staff is putting together the preparations and are excited about our guests arriving for a day of celebration, food, and great wine!

If you are a member of our Inner Circle Wine Club or our Estate Red Wine Club and would like to attend, please call us at 831-659-8100 or 831-659-2800. The ticket prices at $40 per person or $75 per couple. The admission includes our Italian food extravaganza, a Harvest T-shirt, and Joullian wine glass. We would love to have you join us for the fun day!

Until then- Vive Bene, Spesso L'Amore, Di Risata Molto! (Live well, Love Much, Laugh Often!)