Alpha Omega'space

I want to tell you two very exciting things that happen during spring. The first is bud-break. For me bud break represents birth, life, youth, energy and beauty. At this time each vine starts growing and expressing itself through the shape and the color of its leaves and later on the fruit. Just like a human being, the vines communicate with you showing when they struggle, when they are healthy or when they are sick.

The second thing that happens in spring is my little yeast cells start waking up. When spring arrives and the global environment becomes friendly enough for them to start working again, they finish fermenting all the sugars that they had left when they went into hibernation at winter.  This has always has been quite an interesting subject for me because if realize that nature follows its own cycle and if you understand it, and measure it you will be able to maximize a potential that is much greater than mine. This is of course the potential of nature. This is my reasoning for naturally fermenting wines.

The older I get, the more I realize the team effort required to create, fashion and design a wine that reflects your passion.  It starts in the vineyard with all of the workers pruning, suckering, leafing and harvesting. It continues with the cellar workers putting in their hard work and sweat. It then finishes, of course, with blending and bottling. In my opinion, every single operation is key to make quality wine. When you are surrounded by the right people who understand your philosophy and work with respect to art, it makes the difference between producing a good wine and a great wine. To make a difference in the quality of wine you must be precise; therefore, you have a better chance of being successful. Of course there are always factors that you can not control, so that is why it is so important that the entire staff of a winery (from the cellar worker to the president) drive in a healthy and happy environment towards a common goal.

Quite tired from these long months of harvest, I had to go on Atlas Peak to see some potential vineyards for both Syrah and Petit Syrah for next year.  Arriving there, on a crisp and sunny day in December, I saw hundreds of acres of land with very few human touches. There was nothing in sight but vineyards and a couple of houses.  I started admiring the beauty of the place, and asked myself what is the role of a man like me and the influence on something so much bigger called nature? Usually man wants to leave behind memories, traces and legacies. Looking at this sheer beauty made me understand that the only thing I am concerned about leaving behind is beautiful wines that express the beauty of this untouched land.