Oh well...I am usually my own biggest fan when it comes to humor. 

I just got off the phone with Paul Sloan so its time for a little update on Pinot in the Russian River Valley -- and most importantly the one and only Small Vines, which now, selflishly will also mean an update on Genese as well. (YAY!)

The picture above was taken when the Small Vines chardonnay vines were grafted onto rootstock and planted on the new vineyard site, which will also be the location of the new winery. I am so excited that I've been invited to help harvest the first grapes from this vineyard for its inaugural vintage -- 2012. If I'm lucky, I'll be able to sleep in the vineyard under the stars. So excited. But I digress....

The whites of the Valley in general are still struggling to catch up from the early season shenanigans. This morning, however, a low level fog blanketed the vineyards but wasn't thick enough to hide the fact that veraison has set in. When I saw Paul in New York last week, he shared that the troublesome pinot noir seemed to be adapting to the erratic weather dished up in California this year pretty well. So we can all breathe a collective sigh of relief. And those little vines shown above? Struggling a bit this year but still on schedule for their first harvest. I had the chance to taste a single vintage of chardonnay that Paul made years ago and I can tell you....it was stunning. The idea that there will be chardonnay on par with the caliber of his pinot noir available is thrilling to say the least.

I'll be tromping around the dirt of the vineyards next month where I'll be doing a little bit of testing and sampling (I love being put to work). By then, we will be just weeks away from the historical harvest date so the grapes should be exuding the warmth, color and body of the vintage. I can't wait to pop the grapes in my mouth. I'll keep you posted.