Late Summer at Jorian Hill
It’s hard to believe that we are coming up on our fifth harvest here at Jorian Hill! Our relationship with this property and the vineyard has become such a natural, welcome part of our lives, that in some ways it feels like we have been doing this forever. At the same time, every day here is new and unique.
Right now, in the long days of late summer it’s particularly glorious. Nature is literally bursting at the seams with life and energy—all of which begins making itself known at the crack of dawn, with noisy roosters determined to wake us up. For their part, the chickens are laying ridiculous amounts of eggs. And no matter how many fresh summer salads, grilled vegetable dishes or pies we make, we can’t seem to keep up with the amount of beautiful produce coming from our garden, or the apples and pears from our orchard. Friends who stop by for a visit, and to taste our wines, invariably leave loaded down with eggs and vegetables. Wine, tomatoes, cucumbers and zucchinis have become a standard parting gift.
In the vineyard, the grapes are plump and ripening, and our first crop of Mourvèdre is finishing veraison. Even with four previous vintages under my belt, I feel a sense of excitement as I talk to Jeff, our vineyard manager, or Mark and Joey, our winemakers, about the coming harvest. All signs are pointing to a late September/early October start, which is pretty traditional for the Santa Ynez Valley.
We are also really excited about the upcoming release of our 2007 Santa Barbara County Syrah and our inaugural 2007 BEEspoke Blend. Not only are these wines from an amazing vintage, they are the first two red wines we’ve made since we started working with Mark and Joey. Like us, Mark and Joey have fallen in love with the vineyard now that they’ve explored its potential. Gary and I see their passion reflected in these wines—they are something special.