I wrote in my previous post of a grape’s journey from truck to tank, load-in to landscape, the process by which grapes, via their arrival to the winery, eventually begin to become wine.
But the journey is of course a much longer one than that. The harvest journey in fact begins exactly there; harvest. And so now, with the arrival of first fruit to Monte Bello, I am able to fully reflect on the bookends of the journey; vineyard at one end, winery the other.
This was the scene at the Dusi Ranch in Paso Robles on Saturday …
And here is a quick video of the zinfandel grapes being loaded into the bins, for transport to Monte Bello …
Now, fast forward to approximately 8:30pm, some 2500 feet up in the northern reaches of the Santa Cruz Mountain above Santa Clara Valley …
Now THAT’s a journey!
And what’s all the more amazing is that by 3pm the next day, Sunday …
And I say, let the journeys continue!
(Special thanks to Viticulturist Kyle Theriot, and Quality Control Director/Chemist Karen Schmidt for contributing additional photos to this piece!)
