I got a voicemail from winemaker Cary Gott on Wednesday morning:

I just left Bin to Bottle [custom crush winery] where I tasted the Baconbrook.  Wow.  I mean it’s going to be quite a nice wine.  It’s fermenting.  It’s up at 81° [temperature].  It’s at 15° [Brix] sugar.  It’s really cookin’ along.  Smells good.  Tastes good.  Of course, it’s sweet, black, red wine right now.

The first bin

The first half ton bin of this year’s harvest: Cabernet from Baconbrook. This is the latest harvest ever for this vineyard.

It’s looking like Saturday or so to harvest Baconbrook.  Here are the numbers from this morning:

Block 1 (east vineyard) – 22.0 brix, Not ready, developing flavors

Block 2 (west vineyard) – 24.2 brix, Medium flavors, needs more hang time

Early morning brix measurements at our Spring Mountain District vineyard:
Block 1 (eastern) : 21.0
Block 2a (western): 23.0
Block 2b (western): 22.4

Cecil B DeMille he ain’t, but I (at least) am enjoying these little video and audio updates. Today our winemaker, Cary Gott, was in the Baconbrook vineyard.

This just came out on the Wine Spectator Magazine “Insider”.  I guess I can let the cat out of the bag since it is our wine.

2007 Match Cabernet Sauvignon Butterdragon Hill

For those who favor austerity and structure, with complexity and flavor. Tight, focused and concentrated, yet elegant, offering a mix of cedary oak, loamy earth, mineral, dried berry and currant flavors, with touches of wild berry and blueberry coming through on the finish. Plenty of ripe tannins provide traction. Best from 2012 through 2022. -JL (93 points)

You can order some of this yummy juice here.

While driving in Oakland today, I saw a billboard claiming that a sporty Lexus model was “overqualified for the 580”.  Someone needs to tell Lexus a certain difference between Northern California and Southern.  Down south, they may drive on The 10, but we never drive on The 580.  Our freeways don’t get an article.

A short video by winemaker Cary Gott in the vineyard…