For wine lovers, this is one of the most exciting times of the year. Grapes are reaching peak ripeness, hanging on for the final stretch before they’re picked. Our winemaker, Aaron, has been tireless—driving from vineyard to vineyard, taking samples, and measuring ripeness to gauge when each vineyard will be ready for picking, though timing can always shift.
I saw this firsthand during a surprise visit last week after being away for most of the month. Aaron had already left at dawn, checking vineyards across five counties, from our furthest northern site in Sonoma to the remote Enz Vineyard in San Benito County.
As of today, we’ve brought in about 25% of our expected total for the season. The recent heat wave sped up ripening in many vineyards, setting up a busy week. While we still have a lot of Pinot Noir on the vines for red wine, we’ve already picked a fair amount for sparkling and rosé wines.
Here’s what we’ve harvested so far:
The weather has cooled down, giving us a chance to catch up and allowing the remaining grapes to ripen slowly, which is ideal for flavor development.
Sparkling wine has become a key part of what we do. Since making our first sparkling wine, released in 2020, we’ve expanded to producing six sparkling wines each year using three methods: Pét Nat, Méthode Champenoise, and forced carbonation (in a keg). Each method brings distinct characteristics. Our Pét Nats are hazy, unfined, and unfiltered with coarse bubbles and fruity freshness—like a dry version of Skittles or Starburst. Meanwhile, our Méthode Champenoise wines, crafted with techniques honed over centuries in Champagne, are creamy and elegant with fine bubbles that highlight minerality and complexity.
I mention this because the grapes for these wines have already been picked and are fermenting now. Tasting them at this stage, they’re still sweet and juicy—grape juice for wine is actually much sweeter than soda! If I had to bet on one standout, I’d choose our 2024 Pét Nat Rosé of Pinot Noir. Right now, it tastes just like grapefruit juice without the bitterness, and I’m hoping that flavor sticks through fermentation. When it does, it’s one of my favorite qualities in a rosé of Pinot Noir.
The color is stunning, too. Currently, it’s a deep salmon with neon pink flecks. As fermentation progresses, I expect it to shift into a bright, pastel pink—always a beautiful transformation.
In honor of this upcoming release, we’re offering 50% off our 2023 version, Pét Moon Pink, with the code petillant. Hopefully, this gets you excited as we look forward to releasing the 2024 vintage—currently just juice—sometime in January.
In other news, we’ve got a range of wines fermenting. Alongside the Pinot Gris for sparkling orange wine, we’ve got Vermentino for a white wine Pét Nat, and Gewürztraminer fermenting for an orange wine. There’s also rosé of Pinot Noir destined to become P.C.H., and both Pinot Noir and Chardonnay for our Harvest Moon blend. Most of these were picked early to capture their bright acidity and freshness.
By the time I write again in two weeks, we’ll likely be knee-deep in grapes—sticky, stained, and working tirelessly to make the 2024 vintage one to remember. Oh, and fun fact—it’s our twentieth harvest as a winery. Pretty cool, right?
