Ridgeline Vineyard Harvest Update

We started harvest at our Ridgeline Estate vineyard today in earnest, a full 15 days earlier than last year, with block 40, an extremely steep southerly facing gravel slope that would get a begrudging nod of approval from the Cote Rotie.  This is typically our first pick off the ranch and, due likely to the extremely low yields, makes wines of incredible intensity and depth.  The Ridgeline vineyard is the cornerstone of the Decoy Cab, Merlot, and Red wine bottlings.  Winemaker Don LaBorde has a veritable treasure trove of individual soil, rootstock, and site combinations to work with, adding nuance to his already formidable stable of vineyards.  This ranch usually ripens over the course of ten days to two weeks, giving us a chance to harvest a small amount per day, as we are limited by the steep slopes and small staging areas.  This aerial shot gives a good sense of the terrain.