Well folks, it's that time of year again.  The time of sleep deprivation, weight loss and family neglect.  That's right, it's harvest time.  Woo Hooo.  The precious beginning of another Vintage.  This 2007 vintage will be our tenth vintage here at Pepper Bridge Winery and we are all very excited.  It feels like yesterday that we were putting on the final touches during construction, waiting patiently for the first grapes to arrive.  Checking and double checking new equipment so there would not be any supprises when the first grapes arrived.  That feeling of anticipation has not faded throughout the years.  We still check and double check equipment, while Jean Francois starts lurking around our Vineyards inspecting and sampling our 50 different lots.  That's right, 50.  That's a lot of sampling. 

The 2007 vintage started off on Sept. 13th with a Champagne toast and a few tons of Merlot grapes from our Seven Hills Vineyard. On the 15th we got some Cabernet from our Les Collines Vineyard.  By the 16th we were up and running.  For the first time ever, we had 3 different Varietals from our three different vineyards in the first week of harvest.  They usually are a bit more spread out, but by the 18th, we had 65 tons of grapes through the door which is about 1/4 of our annual production.  Our hands are purple, our feet are wet and our spouses are lonely, but we're all still smiling because so far it looks like another incredible vintage.

The weather has cooled down a bit these last couple of days allowing for a little more hang time and a little bit of catch up in the winery.  The first grapes we brought in are fermenting nicely and tasting great.  By the end of this week we should be bringing in more fruit, so I will keep you posted.  If you are in the area and have never seen our crush pad set up the front pad, I suggest stopping by.  Its quite the operation.  Next time I write I will give you a little explanation on what goes on between vine and barrel.  Until then, have a wonderful day.