We caught up with Three Sticks Director of Vineyard Operations Rob Harris, to check in with how things are going out in the vineyards this 2016 growing season. Here's what he had to say:

"Greetings from the vineyard! As I write this in early July, we are roughly half way through the 2016 growing season, and I thought I might share a few thoughts on the vintage thus far.

"The winter brought us (and most of Northern California) some much needed rain. The vines greatly appreciated the rain not only as a source of water to actually grow from, but also to flush and freshen the composition of their soils. These rains have continued off and on through much of the spring and we have seen measurable rain events up to and during the month of June. Vines have flourished and grown fast and strong from the abundance of natural water. Just now, in the first real heat of the summer, are we starting to irrigate and really take control of the amount of water the vines experience and use.

"Early spring was relatively mild on all fronts. Frost season was typical with many days of temperatures creeping very close to dangerous levels, but we emerged unscathed thanks to a little bit of luck and some diligent frost control measures of our own. The latter half of the spring has vacillated between cool (and sometimes wet) days balanced with other periods of warm and sunny weather. Our first taste of summer heat has lasted the last few weeks and soon we should settle into a more typical pattern of cool, foggy mornings and warm, sunwashed days as we move into July.

"To the annual cycle of a grapevine, the next two months leading into harvest time is an absolute eternity. We are happy and thankful for the good start to this season, but we continue to tend our vineyards with a watchful eye and a vigilant hand, hoping and working towards a successful finish to 2016. Best of summer wishes to all of you, and I will hopefully report back soon with another installment of promise and praise for the 2016 vintage."

--Rob Harris, Director of Vineyard Operations