August 2000

          Could this be the first "normal" weather year in history? Maybe, but we are not counting on it just yet. About average rainfall, some cool stretches and a couple of hot blips during the summer are pretty much what one should expect. There's still a ways to go before harvest but it will take snow in August to make this a weird year.
          Our 1995 Cabernet Sauvignon and 1996 Pinot Noir are now being released.
          Another well regarded vintage among many in the great decade of the 1990's, our 1995 Cabernet is enjoyable now, particularly if allowed some breathing before consumption. But, as always, it will benefit greatly from further cellaring. Its minty, cherry-like character is glorious with barbeque dishes of all sorts, and it is a good match for almost any full flavored meal.
           The Mayacamas 1996 Pinot Noir is, no surprise here, quite a mouthful compared to most California wines from this grape. Slower aging than most, it nonetheless is now beginning to develop the depth and complexity we strive for. Earthy and many-layered, it is quite smooth already, with hints of plum and other dark fruit. While highly suitable for pouring with a broad range of red wine meals, try it also with salmon or ham.
          Reports indicate that our 1997 Chardonnay continues to be very well received. Highly favorable comment from Dan Berger, Matt Kramer, The Insiders Wine Lines, Wineskinny.com, and many others suggest that this is clearly a wine you cannot live without.
          Our 1982 (yes 1982) Cabernet Sauvignon is now being re-released. Slow developing (obviously), even for a Mayacamas Cabernet, it is now finally entering its prime. Still austere and vigorous, this wine will live for at least another decade.
           Some pundits ranked 1993 as the worst year for California Chardonnay in that decade. We beg to differ. Or at least to re-emphasize that not all vineyards have the same quality of vintage in any given year. Our 1993 is nearing its peak now and will be in prime condition for several more years to come. Its rich, fruity, complex and viscous character enables it to go well with virtually any food. Not so sure about that? Just try it.
           The general press has given considerable attention to our newest enemy, the glassy-winged sharpshooter. No, it isn't a foreign fighter plane about to descend on our shores, or a rifle-toting space alien. It's a bug. And while it has a healthy appetite, that is not the reason for its infamy. The problem with this critter is that it carries around Xylella Fastidiosa. And, of course, nobody wants that. Wants what you say? Xylella Fastidiosa (popularly called Pierce Disease) is a virus, and a virus that attacks grapevines, and other plants, strangles them and kills them. So, don't feed any bugs with transparent wings, at least not this one, or you might have to go without your favorite beverage.
          Random plant mortality is a constant problem in vineyards, orchards, and elsewhere. Watering the scattered replacements is always equipment and labor intensive. Driwater may sound like an oxymoron, because it is, but it is also a product, a company (DRiWATER, Inc.), and their website (driwater.com). Driwater is mostly water, formulated in a gel that releases the moisture slowly over time. Placed in the root zone during planting, these gel-packs supply water to the plant for several weeks and can be replaced during the growing season, and in subsequent years. We usually water new vines for three years to establish the root system. They then begin to bear fruit and are never watered again, for our style of grape growing and wine making. So when asked how our water is these days we say, "the same as our wine: very dry."