Hello,

I hope this letter finds you well. It is, of course, a new year and with that comes an elevated desire for motivation, inspiration, and drive. Of the many promises I am making to myself in the new year, reaching out to all of you more regularly is at the top of the list. It has not been an accident that I have been a bit silent this past year. I found myself needing space, quiet, and, also, more time with loved ones. The gift of learning how to re-introduce these things into my life has been enlightening to say the least. Now, with my priorities rightfully realigned, I feel inspired to connect further with you.

You and I are likely connected through wine. Wine as a catalyst for human connection is something I do not take lightly. Wine has given me the opportunity to meet many amazing people over the years. People like you. No matter where you come from, or what you look like, if you love wine we already have enough in common to have a meaningful conversation. I fucking love wine. It’s the best.  

An update on what's going on here: I have moved into a new space in Tin City here in Paso Robles. I received the keys on September 1st, 2022, which made harvest, during an already difficult vintage, a true challenge. Then again, this isn’t supposed to be easy. If it were, everyone would be doing it. With the help of neighbors and my community, we were able to get up and running without hitting too many snags. I’m pleased to say the new winery space already feels like home.

After many years of navigating drought conditions, we were dealt the hand of extreme and untimely heat at the onset of Harvest 2022. Grapes that were moving along at a gentle pace of ripening were thrust into overdrive, with 110+ temperatures for two straight week, as harvest approached. On top of that, our iconic cool nights were just not that cool. Ripening therefore happened around the clock without those dramatic diurnal swings to chill down the night air. This new set of challenges had many of us scrambling…for tank space, for fermentation bins, for labor, more time in the day, you name it.

Everyone in Paso got the same vintage. We found ourselves—this beautiful community of winemakers and farmers— sharing ideas, solutions, war stories and equipment, late into the evenings over beer or a cold cup of coffee. Sharing these conversations makes us better and stronger as a community and our culture here in Paso deepens as a result. At the end of the day, our job is to accept these unique vintage conditions and turn them into wine (that’s why we put the year on the label). Once you remember this, you become more at ease, your intuition kicks in, and becomes the force driving your decisions for the remainder of harvest.

The art behind winemaking is directly tied to one’s ability to surrender, to relinquish one’s will and just enter the flow. That's when the little things about the vintage start to reveal themselves. There is beauty in these unique vintage challenges. When all was said and done, the 2022 vintage produced wines that excite us. They still have a long way to go in barrel, but they show such promise. I am already dreaming of the day I get to share them with all of you. For now, we will do our best to practice patience. The temptation to “check” in on the barrels invades my thoughts, but for now it’s best to leave them alone. It’s like they need space to develop and mature. A practice I can now relate to.