March 2010

     Winter is a quiet time here.  The 2009 vintage is resting peacefully in the barrel cellar.  The transition between vintages has begun with the pruning of the dormant vines. 

     Our employees Nestor and Sergio are experts in the Guyot method of cane pruning, which was invented by a scientist in the eighteenth century. It requires intuition as to what each vine wants to do.  Is the vine struggling, or should it be reined in a bit?  It is critical to know which canes to select and which renewal spurs to leave for the following year in order to rebalance the vine.

     Now that our son Nicolas is almost 13 years old, I am teaching him how to prune. He is a quick learner and I am delighted that he actually seems to enjoy the work.

Linda joins me in wishing that our wines continue to bring you joy!

Sante`

Patrick Elliott-Smith