farmers tan

Been a bit, I know. But I still must keep it short as I have pork belly confit to prepare.
What a crazy thing I signed up for, working harvest in OZ. Waking up at 6am, picking grapes for 7 hours, quick lunch, then processing until 6pm. Makes you appreciate the abundance of cheap labor in the states that enables you to focus on the winemaking....but then again, that's the realization that I have had here...it's all about the vineyard. Working in the vines, more than in the winery. A great vintage is of course made under the sun, not in the cellar.
Its crazy to think that after a 12 hour day, I still have dinner to cook, laundry to do (by hand), and emails...oh yea, and sleep.
Some day's are of course harder than others, and it is difficult to work for someone else, when you are used to working for yourself...but after work, with a cold little creatures brew in hand, I remember something...I'm in freaking Australia making world class wine, haha! This is pretty awesome!

Looking down

With Aran in Australia, I find myself visiting the winery in Saratoga much more often than before. Time to reflect on what Aran and I are doing with Carlotta Cellars is certainly in abundance these days. With the beautiful back drop of the silicon valley, perched a few thousand feet up the Santa Cruz mountains I find the quiet of this massive expanse to be almost ironic when juxtaposed with the constant pulsing of my own hopes and dreams. Down below there are tech start-ups finding success next to already thriving dynasties like google etc...I have a strong respect for those guys down there, although we are in different industries I believe the pursuit of happiness is something that we all share. These are the men standing near me in the Arena, fighting for what they can, fighting for a better life, a better community, all in all, a better way. The understanding that just down there so much is being done to change the world everyday is beyond inspirational. I often wonder, do any of those guys look up from their computers, out their window up at the mountain and think if only for a moment "I wonder who's making a difference up there, who is up there putting it all on the line for what they believe in?" Perhaps this is far from reality, but then again, perhaps not.

A few pictures from OZ...

Beautiful Country

Sunset @ the house

The red Cambrian soils of Heathcote

Tiny Shiraz berries at about 18 brix.

Fishing on Phillip Island

Carolyn with a view of melbourne

Heathcote

Carolyn and I have been settling in quite nicely in Heathcote. Our house is located on the vineyard about 20 minutes north of town. The country side here is beautiful...similar in ways to, say, Sonoma County, but also unlike anywhere I have been before. Rolling hills of brown grass, scattered gum trees, and plenty of sheep are visible as far as the eye can see. In front of our house, the occasional kangaroo can be seen hopping through the vineyard rows, or lounging around the olive trees.
I have to admit that after a few hours of being in Heathcote, we had started to second guess our decision to come here... But by day 4, I am convinced that this is one of the most up and coming wine regions in the world. Heathcote town is slightly larger than Redwood Valley, and the people here would feel right at home in small town Mendocino! The local wine merchant, Cellar and Store, has a collection of 80 or so local producers, of which almost all of them have strikingly attractive packages, which include prices that reflect the image. The upside to this is that It shows an immense amount of confidence in the producers for the quality of their wines. The people of this region believe that their wines belong next to the greatest in the world.
The brand I am currently working for, Heathcote II is revered as one of the best wineries of the region and produces only 600 cases a year!!
Carolyn and I had a bottle of the 2005 Myola, a Bordeaux blend, with dinner the other night, and were in awe at the concentration and depth of flavors which were perfectly framed with a proportionate amount of T and A(tannin and acid =).
A few of the components that I believe make this region so great include the following:
Ancient Cambrian Soils. The Red, clay based soil is a key ingredient to the success of local growers due to its high water retention which allows for the grapes to be dry farmed; further increasing the skin to juice ratio.
Diurnal Variation: The days can reach up to 105F, and cool off to 50F at night! This allows for the grapes to ripen fully, but slowly, allowing for full development of flavors and retention of acidity.
Wind: There is a constant blowing wind here. Similar to the mistral of the Rhone. The wind can gust upwards of 40mph on a constant basis! The wind is less during flowering, but is enough to cause a slight amount of shatter in the vineyards which ultimately reduces yields. Also, the drying effect of the wind makes mildew and rot a non-occurrence. Without the worry of mildew, there is little need to spray chemicals in the vineyard.
Ok, enough for now...working early tomorrow!

Day#2: Fitzroy

After a much needed good nights sleep, Carolyn and I ventured out into Melbourne's Fitzroy district to pick up our car we had bought off eBay.
Despite the rolling eyes of close friends, buying a car of eBay in another country wasn't such a bad idea. Got ourselves a nice little '93 Audi 100 that suits its purpose perfectly.
So our first stop was the gas station, which was lesson numero uno of the day. This is what I learned: pump first, then pay. Gasoline is referred to as petrol, if you say ask for $50 worth of gas... they think you mean propane. After the confusion, we got on our way and headed to an eatery called Little Creatures. Carolyn's friend, Pat Johnson said it was a must, and over the years I have learned to take people recommendations seriously. The neighborhood outside little creatures was similar to say, haight Ashbury on an unusually warm SF day. Trendy boutiques, and thrift stores alike, hipsters EVERYWHERE, and so many coffee shops that even Seattle would be jealous. Well needless to say, Little Creatures fit right in to the mix. The inside looked as if the someone bought an old rundown warehouse, threw in a bunch of eclectic furniture, and opened shop; An industrial feel, but not "made to look". The seating was reminiscent of a cafeteria, but a bit more comfortable...OK, so on to why I'm writing this! The beetroot/feta dip with warm house made flat bread! Such a simple dish, it really fit with the time and the place. A dish that no doubt will show up at my house plenty this next spring! The sweetness of the beets, and the savoriness of the feta, with the warmth of the flatbred, made me realize that often times where there are great wines being produced, there are incredible dishes being served up as well.
After filling up on gas, and the local fare, we drove down to Fitzroy Gardens, and took a tour of St Patrick Cathedral. Built in the early part of the 19th century, this church had an almost medieval feel to it. Really cool to see considering that Melbourne was not even a city before 1830, and most of the architectural stylings seem very modern.
We spent the better part of the afternoon lying on the welcoming grass of the Fitzroy Gardens.
So, now that we are back at our lovely hotel in the Brighton neighborhood of Melbourne, I have noticed the emanating glow coming from my arms..Gasp!... That's where lesson number two reared its ugly head... Sunburn like you wouldn't believe! Damn UV index here is off the charts!

Melbourne day #1

A 15 hour flight finds me in Melbourne. Its midday here, and despite being exhausted, its Australia Day. Just like 4th of July in the states, its the Aussie's independence day, and that means warm weather, BBQ's and beer! So it's time to rally. I have 5 days to experience all that Melbourne has to offer before heading out into the "bush". I expect Carolyn and I to take advantage of our hotels proximity to the beach and start showing our appreciation for this great country's independence, and drink a couple cold ones!
Cheers!

Been a while!

OK, it's been a long time since the blog has been updated, I know. But things are most definitely moving along at steady pace with Carlotta!
Dave and myself have been enjoying the down time since the end of crush. It turned into a benchmark vintage after the past few years of less than perfect ones in Mendocino. We are very excited, not only about the new vineyards we are working with, but also the quality of the wines we have in barrel and the direction that Carlotta is currently heading in.
Currently, most of our time is devoted to preparing for our first big bottling, which is scheduled for May 3rd. We are proud to be working with Santa Cruz neo-pop designer, Janet Allinger, who is helping put our ideas on paper. I could wax for hours on the exciting details of our upcoming release... but ill sprinkle you all with more information over the coming months..

Its time to lay down, and try to get some sleep...My wife, Carolyn and I are off to Australia for the next few months! Going to be making wine with the guys at Heathcote II! ....maybe a Carlotta Shiraz sometime time in the future???