Very Special Day!

What an amazing feeling to bottle your first vintage. Watching your label go on a bottle, full of the wine you spent the last year with so intimately. The bottles rattle down the line in mass, lifted and placed into cases and then rumble down the rollers to be palletized. Cases in form, ready to hit the streets and find their fate, find you. How exciting to know that the wine made it and my part for this vintage is over. Not many things in life press a permanent smile onto the face, this experience does! The smile is still on my face.

After all the excitement and thrill, this experience comes down to the people involved. First and foremost Brian and Kimberly Loring...they didn't just open their winery to me, they made me believe. Believe that this dream was possible! Thanks to them for keeping me from running back to the mountains. The growers, Brosseaus and Peter Cargasacchi, that took a chance on me making wine out of their fruit, their hard work. Then there are all the great people you meet along the way, other people who make wine, people that come by the winery to taste and share their story, people who help during harvest and bottling just because they want to be involved in wine. It is all these people who make this experience all the more amazing. Thanks!

Labels, bottling and harvest.

Beautiful! Rare is the moment when the image in one's mind manifest exactly as imagined...this is such a time. Don't get me wrong the label is not exactly what I began thinking about months ago and certain limitations sent me in a different design direction. However, once we got it nailed down conceptually and all the physical product in place I had a definite feel and look in mind. It is the waiting, not knowing if everything will come together and capture the image in your mind. Then the day comes and you go to the printer and do the press check...no turning back now...you look, caress, turn upside down and tweak. Then it's yours, a synthesis of all the work. This time I am happy. As you will see it is not a traditional label but why should I start with tradition now. I am proud of the outcome and I hope you all will enjoy the fresh look. Cheers!

Update from the Pinot Prison...We bottled again this week, bottling Pali's entire 06 vintage. They bottled some 375's of Inman Olivet and Shea Vineyards...really sharp! Pali did about 3100 cases for their 06 vintage and their mailer release was this past Tuesday (14th). Loring continued bottling with Dry Hole, Clos Pepe and Graham leaving just three vineyards for the last bottling run on the 22nd and 23rd. P2 is slated for the 22nd and this entire amazing journey will reach a major plateau, I think I will enjoy the view.

The new winery is coming along, but it looks like first fruit will have to be processed at the present winery. Our new winery is scheduled for a "first of September" move in date...we'll see.

First fruit looks to be out of Paso's Russell Vineyard on August 25th...ALREADY?! Here we go...

Bottling!

Slam, Rattle and Bottle! It's that special time that brings a smile to the winemaker's face and an ache to the back. Seeing the culmination of a journey that began last year with plump happy grapes and now is...happy wine!

Bottling itself is a monotonous endeavour, it would be mistaken for a form of torture, if not for the joy of putting wine into bottle. Armed with earplugs to defend against the cacophony of slamming bottles and the rattle and hum of the line itself. The repetitive motion beats on the muscles and numbs the mind. But the mind wanders, wanders back across the journey. Mornings, early mornings, spent in the vineyards bringing the grapes back to the winery and starting this whole process. This labor of love.

The Lorings bottled about 4500 cases of their 06 vintage, about two thirds of their production. Still to go are Pali Wine Co., Cargasacchi and of course P2. I have to admit I'm starting to get excited about putting my first vintage in bottle. The label is coming together and the closure (yes, screw cap) is looking pretty good. We actually put a cap on a bottle of wine and it was a hit with everyone at the winery. Schedule bottling for P2 is August 22nd/23rd. Stay tuned.

Faster! Faster!

Crunch Time! The new winery is coming along. All the guys working on it are busting their butts to get the winery done in time for harvest. So many factors go into being ready to make wine in the new winery for the 07 harvest. Obviously the building has to be finished but then it takes three more weeks to get the bond transferred once we have a 'securable structure' Yep, we're pushing it! Everybody still thinks that we'll make it but the race is on! Stay tuned.

Next week we start bottling the first of the 06 vintage...first up in the batting order is LWC, about 4500 cases. Then we have two more bottling runs in August, finishing off the LWC, Pali Wine Co. and of course P2.

This week we are getting all the tanks cleaned and in place. Also a little barrel rodeo, just to keep the kids entertained. I'll blog on bottling next week...Cheers!

Vail!! oh, barrel samples too

OK, I'll admit my bias right up front...I love Vail and the mountains! I trip over myself trying to restrict the prose when expressing my adoration, but I will spare you all my sloppy love of the place. I did have a great time.

I had the opportunity to see old friends and meet new ones. There were also great restaurants...like Eat/Drink/Dish in Edwards CO. check it out if you get a chance. The home team at Larkspur (restaurant where I was last seen as a waiter) was very supportive as I came to town to show off P2's 06 barrel samples. I think the wines were well received by both the public and trade people...check out Rob Farrer's tasting notes at www.kevinfurtado.com and click on the blog.

Colorado is a very special place for me and I have to admit to see my wine on the shelves and wine lists of Vail stores and restaurants will be a very special day for me...bringing a tear to the old man's eye:) Can't wait!

Next Week...Is that winery built yet?!

Look What's Bloomin' in Lompoc

The huge metal beams stretch toward the sky like .... stop that.... No flowery prose I promise. I just wanted to let everybody know about the new winery. Loring Wine Company and Pali Wine Co. are building a new winery in Lompoc and P2 will also be housed at the new facility. We are all very excited about having all that space in our new state of the art winery but the race for bottling and harvest is on!! Everybody here is crossing their fingers that the structure is finished in time for harvest. Moving on the eve of harvest should make for an interesting season...good fodder for the blog I'm sure. So stay tuned I will keep updates on the construction progress coming and how it will all play out for the 07 harvest. P.S. Lompoc is the flower seed capital of the world.

Pinnacles Wine Festival...WOW

What a great event! All my favorite things...beautiful scenery, good food, good wine and great people diggin' on the whole scene. I am honored to have Brosseau Vineyard fruit (Thanks Jon, Jan and Bill!)and to be included with so many great winemakers. Pouring my first vintage for so many knowledgeable and passionate people can be a little nerve racking but you all made my first time a great experience.

I just want to say thanks to everyone who stopped by to taste the P2 Brosseau Pinot Noir and offered great comments and encouragement for the future. THANKS!!! I hope to see you all in the future and at next year's Pinnacles Wine Festival.