Hello all, as I am Writing this on the weekend of the 4th of July I wish you all a great holiday, we are so pleased that the weather has finally come out in support of us at this time. The unusual weather patterns have continued with the most rain falling in July on record. As it happened it all fell in one day, when we were bottling, however I guess that is better than experiencing 100 degree heat while bottling.

There has been much said about the inclement weather having a negative effect on flowering, thereby reducing crop loads. We have definitely experienced this however the damage to flowering is not catastrophic by any means. We generally crop thin quite heavily to keep our yields low in order to produce concentrated cellar worthy wines, in this vintage nature has done the work for us leaving thinner, more evenly spaced berries and bunches than what we could have achieved doing by hand later on.

The main challenge presented to us by the weather is the extra vegetative growth. Vines love water and when rain is followed by hot sunny weather the vines thrive. This has resulted in a high workload for the vineyard team as they repeatedly go through the vineyard trimming and tucking the vines back into a balanced state. A possitive side of it all is that the vines all have tall heathy canopies with light crops, this will better facilitate the ripening process. This is useful this year given the later than normal growth, more leaves will ripen the less fruit in a shorter time than a small canopy can ripen a heavy crop.

As you can see the vineyards have been a focal point for us this month but we have also been busy in the cellar. This month we have bottled the Sauvignon Blanc, Syrah and Rosso di Sonoma. I am very pleased with all the wines, the 2010 whites are concentrated with intense fruit and a more steely texture than the voluptuous 2009 versions. The Rosso is loaded with fresh fruit, firm but easy tannins and the Syrah is complex and intense. These wines are of course still some time from release having just been bottled, but you will not have to wait long for the incredible 2009 Chardonnay. We are on the last cases of the 2008 Chardonnay, which has been enormously popular and currently at peak of drinking. For those of you who would like to get some 2008 Chardonnay before it sells out I suggest you move quickly.

Ciao for now,

Martin.

Once again I would like to welcome you to the monthly newsletter. After a few weeks of fine warm weather that had me believing Spring was on its way, we have returned to cold and wet weather. I, for one, am happy with this as the land is replenished for the coming dry months. The buds on the freshly pruned vines have not prematurely burst, as can happen in unseasonable warm conditions, only to be lost to subsequent frosts.

We are quietly tidying up a few details such as bottling the latest Grappa di Syrah and labeling the Extra Virgin Olive Oil. We are also preparing to establish our own Olive Mill so that our outstanding organically grown estate Olive oil will be extracted by ourselves on the property. We have also bottled and released the 2010 Rosato di Sonoma. The 2010 Rosato is outstanding, and for those of you already familiar with this wine, the 2010 vintage is more concentrated than last year with a firmer spine and greater intensity. For those who have not tried the Rosato I recommend you do so. It is great for warm weather, perfect with antipasto platters and is at such a fantastic price that will undoubtedly sell out very quickly. I challenge anyone to find a better Rosé style of wine. The secret to its success is the 50% Sangiovese and the initial barrel fermentation prior to going to tank. Released yesterday it is showing very well and is good for immediate consumption and through to the end of summer.