To Everything There Is A Season

To everything there is a season. As we take a much-needed rest over the holiday season, so do our vines. They sit in the stillness and darkness of winter in their dormancy. Hibernating and storing energy for the coming vintage. At this time, nature invites us to reflect. I am reminded of a quote that invites presence into my actions:

“Nature does not hurry, yet everything is accomplished.” -Lao Tzu

Nature operates on its own timeline, it does not concern itself with human schedules, hustling, or doing. It exists in a state of being. The sun does not think to shine, it is powerfully its essence in the most simple and elegant way. The vine, and everything in nature is the same, presence and being gradually and steadily swell, burst, grow, and nurture. Every moment is important, not just the observable points in the season. Dormancy, budbreak, veraison, and harvest are all equally important, as is every day, hour, minute, and second between.  This is where we are invited to be a reflection of nature. We are part of nature too, we move in cycles, and our power is in each now moment. We cannot change the past, but we can rest, achieve, and harvest our bounty in sync with nature.

2023 was a lean and exceptional vintage. The quality of the wines that sit in our barrels is beyond my expectations. Credit goes to the star of the show, our site. 40 years of vision, hard work, nurturing, and ushering in. Sharing the care and responsibility as a team.  Honoring the Burgers and their vision, passing the torch to our Vineyard Manager, and loyal vineyard crew, to the team in the cellar. Our success is the result of being so in tune with the process that our timing on pick dates, pressings, movements and stillness, honors the fruit, the vines, the soil and the people of this place. These wines are a gift and a reward for the presence that we have been initiated into. These wines are concentrated, intense, fruit forward, rich, structured, and balanced. It is my pleasure to announce we will be making a limited volume of 2023 Pinot Noir Tall Poppy. An outstanding vintage indeed.

Working with this site over the last 15 years has given me so much. A purpose, a livelihood, and a connection to this magical and sacred land. Also a perspective that honors the cycles, and the flow of the earth, wind, sun, and cosmos.  All is connected. We don’t have to reside on a vineyard or work in agriculture to receive these messages. I invite you to reflect on your part in nature, in the way that your life initiates; watching children grow, tending to a garden or house plant, watching the seasons transition or celebrating traditions and holidays. It’s all here for you in every now moment.  How are you showing up as the nature that you are? 

- Ariel Eberle, Head Winemaker