“Your success and happiness lies in you. Resolve to keep happy, and your joy and you shall form an invincible host against difficulties.” — Helen Keller

As the sun sets on 2014, a year filled with many changes, and we look toward 2015 and many more changes and challenges to come, one cannot but be filled with the optimism that the new year brings.

Along with that optimism comes resolutions, lists, and goals.  Our first major goal is to stop straddling two cities and move full-time to the ranch and enjoy a more peaceful, simplified life, while taking time to enjoy all the area has to offer, our new friends, and more time watching sunsets, playing golf and exercising, while perfecting our wine and olive oil.

We plan to be bottling our 2015 olive oil soon, as well as our 2013 Zinfandel, followed by our 2012 Petite Sirah. The jury is still out on the 2012 Cab.  We plan to adhere to our racking, SO2, and bottling schedule.

2015's plans also include the purchase of a labeling machine, so we can free up hundreds of hours spent in the barn yearly labeling -- despite the hours of fun that trying to line up a label and bottle on a checked towel bring.  We look forward to streamlining and standardizing our packaging and product line.

On the growing front, as always, we plan to do it better.  We plan to adhere to a rigid spray schedule, do our cluster thinning early, get the vines more water when they need it and less when they don't.  We plan to purchase new bird netting for installation after veraison and install electric netting on all areas of vineyard at the end of June and stand guard against the coyotes, along with dogs, until the harvest is brought in.  We plan on a better harvest in 2015.

Most importantly, though, our thoughts are with several close family members who are currently struggling with serious illness, and while our resolution list above is long, the real wish on our 2015 list is for them all to be well.  Until then, though, we will resolve to keep happy and hope our joy forms the invincible host against 2015's challenges.

All the best to you in the new year!


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