It is that time of year again when the earth around us transforms into varying shades of green. The buds are breaking and new leaves uncurl to meet the sun. Beneath a canopy of oak trees, the Buttes are velvety, above the bright sky is accompanied by wooly tufts of clouds casting shadows on the hillside. Wild poppies sway in the early April breeze and with them the resounding trill of birdsong. Spring has definitely arrived!
Each vine has been carefully pruned. Only the gnarled trunks and arms along the trellis remain and the clippings left behind must be raked out before we can mow. We’ll make a great pile of twisted twigs to burn on a still day, a reason to relax in the sunshine beside a crackling bonfire. It’s our way of wishing a final farewell to last year's harvest and celebrating the transition from one vintage to the next. When the day is through and all the brush is turned to ash, we’ll get back to work. Spring, after all, is a very busy time of the year for us.
Before long the vines will be sending out new shoots to grow wherever they can, and quickly too, at times over a foot of growth is put forth each week. Perpetual hedging is inevitable. And let us not forget about the wine in the cellar! Spring signifies the need to make way for the new, a prologue to the ever approaching harvest. So we’ll spend extra time thieving from the barrels and deciding what to bottle, what to rack, and what to leave well enough alone.
In the evenings, when the day’s work is done, when the sun sets and the hills are gilded in gold, we’ll take a moment to look at the world through Rose՛ colored glasses. Join us, wherever you may be, and raise a glass to toast a new and promising spring!
Cheers!
Emily Cordi
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