2009 Post Harvest, Napa Valley

Mid-September and October are long past, and so are the warm, foggy mornings, and the afternoon heat that would chase it all away. The valley that resembled green corduroy has turned golden-yellow with tinges of crimson and orange. It once smelled of harvest and the aromas of fermented grapes throughout the vineyards. The morning winds blew in from the north, from the south in the afternoon, and blended together the distinguished aromas of tomatoes, bananas and sugary, ripened plums.

The nectar of the fruit that once tasted of blueberries, sweet, red apple, raspberries and jam, now resemble chocolate and coffee, dates, cherries and warm spice. Soon it will all be tucked into bed in oak barrels for another year, carefully watched and cared for, not to soon to be enjoyed in growth and maturity.

The harvest is over and although I could use a rest, as could the entire valley, man and plant alike, I will miss my wine-stained hands, and fatigue. This was work that requires passion with a touch of fascination. Though the days and weeks were long and some of the romance of winemaking has escaped me, there will always be a longing and a lust for it to return.