At long last, it is over.  The 2023 Harvest at Winderlea, our 18th, finished on Tuesday October 3rd.  The obvious positives are that we had good yields of disease free fruit with great flavor and were able to pick in amazing near perfect weather for the first three weeks.  For that I am very grateful and very optimistic for the future of this vintage.  It was also very intense.  Donna and I picked 15 times between September 2nd and September 22nd.  The rains that followed gave us a bit of a respite before we finished picking our last 8 tons over two days, first at Meredith Mitchell and finally at Worden Hill Vineyard.  Right now, if you were to walk through the winery you would immerse yourself in the beautiful berry fruit aromas of Pinot noir fermentation.   The first lots have been pressed off and over the next 3 weeks everything will be pressed and barreled.  Once again, the winemaking team has done a fantastic job that we will all have the opportunity to enjoy for years to come.

We hope you’ll join us as we celebrate and salute those who made the harvest happen, our vineyard stewards.  Over the next couple of weeks fellow vintners and friends will be gathering live at Domaine Serene and the new Ritz Carlton in Portland for the iSalud! Pinot Noir Auction and tickets for the big board tasting and gala dinner are still available.  If you can’t be here in person, you can join us virtually for iSalud! and for the AHIVOY Auction for education.  Check out these great wine country events for fun and to do a little good.  Cheers!