This weather, along with late budbreak, made for one of the later harvests in recent memory. The slow ripening allowed the wines to develop a well-balanced structure while retaining vibrant acid and bold fruit characteristics. We started picking our estate Amber Ridge Vineyard first in mid-September. Located in the warmer Middle Reach area, this vineyard is generally the first to come in. Some of our earlier Green Valley and Laguna Ridge sites were next to come in around the end of September. We finished up in the cooler Sebastopol Hills area in later October. All fermentations were carried out in open top fermenters before the wine was moved to French Oak barriques.