For a second year in a row, abundant rainfall during winter provided a wealth of water resources to vineyards across Northern and Central California. Several atmospheric river storm events were concentrated over the Santa Cruz Mountains and to the south along the Gabilán Mountains, where Michaud Vineyard located. Above-average rainfall filled reservoirs and the subsoil for the vineyards we harvested.  June and July brought heatwaves and fortunately for the vines here was ample water for the vines to access. As temperatures moderated in August, a strong heatwave returned in early September. It was persistent and had very little relief of nighttime cooling.  This was a crucial time to irrigate the vines, to keep the vines from enduring extreme water stress which would negatively impacted fruit quality.  With all our years of winemaking experience, we just knew that it was important to be patient, irrigate, and wait. That paid off, once the heat ended, temperatures plummeted and for several weeks the grapes recovered, with flavors intensifying while sugar content pulled back.  This extra time on the vine let the grape seeds mature, becoming ripe and crunchy-a sign of physiological ripeness and when best to harvest for making high quality wine.

Chardonnay from Michaud Vineyard was our first grapes to be harvested on the morning of September 9th, followed by the Grenache Blanc, Syrah, and Grenache Noir on September 25th.   We then went north to Napa Valley for the 2024 vintage bordeaux varieties, to a fabulous vineyard on Mount Veeder.  We have made wine from this vineyard since 2018 at our former winemaking engagements.  This 2024 was made very much in the same style as 2021, where the four bordeaux grapes of the vineyard were harvested the same day and crushed together for co-fermention. This fusion of color, flavor, and tannins has a synergistic reaction to make a greater wine than if blended as wine made from separately fermented varieties.  We’ve known this from our many years of working with old field-blended vineyards that make wines that are much deeper in color, flavor, and complex flavors.  Our 2024 Mount Veeder is cabernet sauvignon dominant, at just over 75% of the blend, followed by merlot, petit verdot, and cabernet franc.  It is among one of the darkest wines we’ve ever made and very full bodied with rich velvety tannins.  We fermented on skins for nearly thirty days before draining and pressing the skins. As we pressed, using a gentle pneumatic press, we separated fractions.  Light pressure, what we call “first squeeze” was isolated and sent to barrel. The next fraction, “P-1” was where the highest quality flavors and tannins were extracted from the skins.  The essence of the grapes was profound and extremely rich, with opaque color. This was added to the free-run drawn off from the fermentor.  The wine then initiated malolactic fermentation in tank, then racked to new french and american oak barrels. We selected our barrels based on our preference and experience having worked with both oak types.  Forest, seasoning time, toast levels are important elements in finding barrels that accentuate the flavors of the wine that were derived from the grapes.  The barrel enhancements should compliment the wine, adding greater dimension to the array of flavors, while not overtaking the definition of the wine. To obtain better oak integration, the barrels were steamed and rinsed with fresh water to remove the first strong extract of oak. That oak tea was dumped down the drain, barrel dried, and filled with wine once ready.  We barreled down our ’24 Mount Veeder Cabernet Sauvignon on the third week of November.  It is beginning to naturally clarify and make progress towards aging. It shows promise to be a truly fine wine, with the distinct character of a mountain vineyard, surrounded by pine forest, and with volcanic sub-soil.

We are offering a limited quantity of this wine to be pre-ordered on a futures basis.  The wine will age for at least another 16-18 months prior to bottling. Those who have secured this wine this offer will obtain their allocation ahead of all other customers.  The discount for this “en primeur” offer is a fifty percent savings over the expected retail price when it is released in the fall of 2026.   Please contact us to inquire about this offer.

Very best wishes,

Shun and Eric