This winter morning, on a beautiful, between storm-day in Sonoma County, I saw my first post-harvest pruned vineyard of the season, signaling yet another vineyard year has ended. This may be the 35th we have experienced, but they are always a cause on wonderment. With much heavier than normal rain in the North Coast this fall, our hopes are high for the new year.
In the cellar, we are watching the wines finish fermentation. When appropriate we are getting wines ready for barrel ageing, and we are preparing some wines for bottling. After the Holidays, we will bottle our 2016 Russian River Valley Pinot Gris, our 2016 Russian River Valley Sauvignon Blanc, and our 2016 Russian River Valley Rose of Pinot Noir. These wines will see an early spring 2017 release date.
It has been a banner year for direct sales. We have already met our budgeted sales figure for the year, with a full month yet to go! Both Tasting Room sales and on-line sales have far outperformed expectations. In addition, our distributor sales also exceed that of last year.
Looking ahead, the 25th anniversary of Winter Wineland takes place January 14 – 15, 2017. All participating Sonoma County wineries will highlight a Vintage, Varietal or a Vertical tasting for the weekend. This is a great opportunity to taste limited production wines and meet the people responsible for making them.
This Holiday Season is an especially good time to stop by the winery. Early rains have turned the hills lush green, there is still some foliage on the trees, and the crowds are gone (almost). Stock up on your favorite Taft Street wines, and above all have a safe and wonderful Holiday!
Cheers!
Mike Tierney
President, Taft Street