After a few months of much needed rain, we are excited to see the sun poking out from behind the clouds as the first buds of the 2016 appear on the vines!

We caught up with Assistant Vineyard Manager Jackie Mancuso to get her thoughts on the season:

"We are seeing bud break throughout most of our vineyards in Sonoma County. It is an exciting - and beautiful - beginning to our 2016 growing season.

"Days are getting longer, and temperatures are on the rise. As soil temperatures warm up out in the vineyards, the vines are able to move stored hormones and carbohydrates up through the plant's veins, causing initial bud break. As bud break continues, small shoots will arise from the canes.

"It takes a few weeks for bud break to arrive in all the vineyards we farm, due to the variance in soil temperatures. Out here in Durell Vineyard, we have gotten nearly 5 inches of rain in the last week. It's definitely a time for work boots around here - the vineyard floors are wet!

"With rain often comes frost, so we are keeping a close eye on temperatures around the clock to make sure we don't have any threat of frost on our newly emerging vines."

Cheers to a fruitful season!
Jackie Mancuso
Assistant Vineyard Manager