First Sunlight in the Vineyard

Every morning on the Estate, a quiet miracle spreads itself over the acres of vines that grow here: sunrise. Light, warmth, and birdsong grace each row, and we can’t help but try to capture these moments. The innocence of dawn shows natural beauty here, somehow both simple and breathtaking. We invite you to look at these photos to see what we see at first sunlight on a day like this. 

Our fruit is very young, boasting a youthful green all over the vineyard. Once mature, the clusters on this vine will become red wine grapes, with dark skins bursting with sweet juice. 

The clusters themselves are in a growing stage. This large Sangiovese cluster has a long way to go before harvest, but is wasting no time chasing its full potential.

As the sun continues to rise, light twinkles all over the vineyard. The Livermore Valley sunshine shows itself in all of our wines as one of the most essential features of both growth and maturation for our vines. 

When white wine grapes have finished growing and begin the ripening process, they will become more transparent and their skins will take on a more yellow hue. Right now, they remain a vibrant opaque green—but not for long.

Some vines, like the Sauvignon Blanc pictured above that makes our delicious Fumé Blanc, are exposed to the sun by the removal of more leaves than other varietals so the sun can create the beautiful golden aromas we know and love. 

Not all of the clusters that grow in the vineyard now will be harvested in the fall. In order to concentrate flavor in our grapes, we will “drop fruit” which involves removing excess clusters from vines so the remaining grapes can be appropriately nourished by the vine. 

The day has dawned, and the vineyard is showing its beauty, growing more and more each day. Come explore: visit our tasting room or try adventuring on our Duck Tour!