The Wines

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While there's been a lot of press on how inconsistent the 2006 vintage was, we felt that our 2006s were (across the board) a huge success. The wines were a little tight on release due to slightly higher tannin levels, but in general have developed into plush and tasty Pinots. In general, drink within 4-5 years - but the wines should hold well for 6 or so years.

The theme for the 2006 labels is "Vineyard Workers". Mostly the picking crews on the morning we picked. Since these are some of the hardest working people in the world, and they are so important for the production of great wine, we felt they deserved to be the stars this time around. Hide this content.

More about Label_2006_Aubaine

San Luis Obispo Country
225 Cases

At Aubaine, rather than try to sort out leaves and mold in the picking bin, they have the workers dump their totes onto a mini sorting table that sits between the two picking bins. It’s a great setup, but can be somewhat slow.

More about Label_2006_Brosseau

Chalone AVA
475 Cases

Brosseau vineyard can be challenging since it’s very hilly. Lugging those heavy totes up and down hills wears the workers out.

More about Label_2006_Cargasacchi

Santa Rita Hills
600 Cases

Here you see a worker handing his bucket to the crew boss. The crew boss is usually responsible for sorting out leaves and any moldy fruit that gets into the picking bin.

More about Label_2006_ClosPepe

Santa Rita Hills
650 Cases

Picking at Clos Pepe is done by friends and family. It’s a difficult pick because the cane pruning means the fruit is scattered about - and you have to hunt and search a bit.

More about Label_2006_Durell

Sonoma Coast
600 Cases

A great action shot of fruit being dumped into a picking bin.

More about Label_2006_Garys

Santa Lucia Highlands
800 Cases

The pickers at Garys’ have it pretty easy in that the fruit is really easy to get to. The cordon pruning and the propensity of the Pisoni clone shoots to grow vertically leads to the clusters all lining up within a tight zone.

More about Label_2006_GrahamFamily

Green Valley (Russian River)
425 Cases

More pickers in action. They look kinda lost in the tall rows at Graham.

More about Label_2006_KeeferRanch

Green Valley of Russian River Valley
1125 Cases

Keefer is interesting since they pick at night. The worker in the picture has a head-lamp on so he can se what he’s doing. In the photo, he’s dumping a tote into the picking bin.

More about Label_2006_Naylor

Chalone AVA
150 Cases

Here’s a pretty good shot showing you the picking bins on a trailer behind the tractor. Most vineyards have trailers that hold 2 bins.

More about Label_2006_RanchoOntiveros

Santa Maria Valley
250 Cases

Here’s a nice shot of a worker emptying a bucket of fruit into a picking bin. Pickers usually pick into totes or buckets. When full, they take them to the picking bins, which are on a trailer being towed by a tractor.

More about Label_2006_Rosellas

Santa Lucia Highlands
950 Cases

Pickers at Rosella’s doing their thing.

More about Label_2006_RussellFamily

Paso Robles
500 Cases

Russell is the most difficult site for pickers to work - because it’s so freakin’ steep. They have to use crawlers (with tank treads) on the hills instead of normal tractors. I’m usually trashed after the pick at Russell.

More about Label_2006_Shea

Willamette Valley
525 Cases

This is the only photo we didn’t take the day of the pick. We weren’t able to get up to Oregon for the Shea pick, so Dick Shea sent us a photo of his vineyard manager, Javier.