State of the Street

It’s official. This July was the coolest in the past thirty years in Sonoma County. Coupled with a decidedly cool May and June, we are headed for a very strange year. Although the grapes look good there is no indication of veraison (that point in the growing season when ripening grapes begin to soften and […]

Local grape growers refer to grape clusters with different sized berries as “hens and chicks.” The unseasonably cool spring especially affected early maturing varietals such as Chardonnay and Pinot Noir, and resulted in an uneven fruit set. More shatter, looser clusters, and fewer berries are the results. The good news is small berries, with a

It appears the rains are over for the season; and a long season it was! Rain right up to Memorial Day weekend affected at least some vineyards, as hail and strong wings were experienced in certain areas of the county. Long range effects will soon become more clear. My own vines in Dry Creek appear

The rains have continued and the result is the most verdant spring in recent memory. Frost season is about over and the 2010 vintage year is off to a very good start. We’ll keep you posted. In the winery, bottling is the main activity – primarily for our custom crush clients. Evelyn is putting together

This weekend we’ll showcase a pair of heritage wines – a 2008 Sonoma County Pinot Noir and a 2008 Mendocino County Pinot Noir with our original (1982) label – with pricing to match. This is all a part of our April Fools’ Day anniversary celebration. After some gorgeous weeks of early summer like weather March

The Winter Olympics are done, the Russian River Wine Road’s Barrel Tasting is here, the vineyards and orchards have been pruned, the spring garden has been planted, the fruit trees are abloom, the reservoirs are full (very good news), St. Patrick’s Day is approaching, as is March Madness – we are definitely coming out of

The skies opened up in January, helping ease a three year drought by filling local reservoirs and bringing significant snowfall in the Sierras. More rain is in sight and it is welcomed. As the vines are dormant this time of year there has been virtually no harm to the vineyards. Our bottling schedule is ramping

Very best wishes from the folks at Taft Street for a healthy and prosperous New Year. To knock off the year with some pizzaz, during January we offer three of our Garagistes wines for the price of two. Order a bottle of our 2006 Mendocino Ridge Pinot Noir Garagistes and our 2007 Russian River Valley Chardonnay Garagistes,