Its January, the start of a new year. This is pruning season at Cline. Vine shearing takes center st

1
January

• Its January, the start of a new year. This
  is pruning season at Cline. Vine shearing takes
  center stage throughout the month and flows into
  the next. Since grapevines fruit only on new
  wood, the process of eliminating old growth sets
  the foundation for the next harvest. Desirable
  fruit production is dependent on vine training
  and proper pruning. There must be enough green
  leafy growth to support the fruit crop and allow
  the correct mixture of sun and shade to insure
  flavorful grapes.

2
February

• With the rainy winter almost behind us, our
  vineyards begin to brighten with the colors of
  spring. One yellow mustard bud amongst a legion
  of sleepy vine trunks soon becomes a luminescent
  announcement that the arrival of a new season is
  nearly here.

3
March

• All eyes are cast toward the dozing terrain,
  searching for the slightest indication that a new
  season has begun. March is when bud break occurs.
  Tender shoots begin to emerge from bumps beneath
  lifeless twigs.
• At Cline, we Spring Clean our weeds and cover
  crops from now til the end of summer. While
  other vineyards are mowing, disking, and spraying
  herbicides, we call on our freelance workers to
  come in and assist us in the expulsion. We use
  over 1500 sheep and 500 goats to remove harmful
  weeds from our vineyards.

4
April

• Spring frost is a big concern for most Northern
  California vintners and this season was
  exceptionally frigid. Without the help of wind
  machines or sprinkler systems, our fragile
  sprouts endured below freezing temperatures-
  dipping into the twenties at times! Frost doesn't
  hurt the vines, but they will be working overtime
  for the next few weeks producing a second growth
  of shoots and buds to replace the ones that were
  damaged by the icy conditions. For now, we focus
  on providing sustenance to the swiftly growing
  vegetation which is vital to maintaining a
  healthy crop. In an effort to protect and
  fertilize our vineyards, a compost tea (a liquid
  solution made by steeping compost in water) is
  applied via drip irrigation. The tea also
  contains molasses, fish emulsion, rock dust,
  microbes, and other nutrients.

5
May

• As the month grows long, the fresh and tender
  crimson leaves slough their radiant pigments for
  a more conventional look. The stark winter
  landscape has been transformed into a dense
  canopy of foliage and flowering berries. Our
  atypical mixture of extreme heat and cold weather
  has pushed our crop into overdrive with fare
  weather ahead, it is time to focus on water
  management. We rid the vineyards of their cover
  crops to eliminate water competition, and begin
  checking soil moisture content to determine
  application allotments. In an effort to protect
  the newly developing berries from powdery mildew,
  organic sulfur dust is applied throughout the
  next few weeks.

6
June

• Tiny emerald orbs hide beneath the leaf laden
  vines like timid children waiting to mature right
  before our eyes. Berry Set, otherwise known as
  berry development, occurs from now until harvest
  and can be broken into 2 growth periods. The
  first stage occurs from bloom to approximately 60
  days subsequent, during which time seed embryos,
  organic acids, tannins, and aroma compounds are
  produced. The second phase called veraison, is
  characterized by softening and coloring of the
  berry (ripening). The fruit will double in size
  from now until harvest, filling with sugar and
  flavor compounds. Our goal from here on out is
  optimizing our grape maturity!

7
July

• The incandescent polychromatic fruit is in
  full veraison from now until harvest, which
  generally occurs a little over a month after the
  color change begins. As the summer sun pushes
  the crop to mature, the berries become
  increasingly distended with an influx of fruity
  sugar known as fructose. The brix, or
  concentration of sugar within a block of berries,
  is determined by the length of hang-time on the
  vine, and is measured in degrees. Each degree
  brix is equivalent to one gram of sugar per 100
  grams of grape juice. Ideally, table wines are
  harvested between 20 and 25 degrees brix, of
  which 55-60 of the sugar is turned into alcohol.

8
August

• Harvest has arrived, and this event has been
  a culmination of months of preparation that began
  with last winters vine shearing. Its mid
  August, and with much anticipation, our Viognier
  arrived, freshly handpicked and swollen with
  flavor. The grapes were released into a steel
  hopper where they idly waited de-stemming. The
  air grew heavy with the sweet sticky smell of
  nectar as the berries were separated from their
  clusters, and impelled into a 20 ton press.
  All-in-all this harvest looks to be one chock
  full of flavor.

9
September

• To pick, or not to pick that is the question!
  The quest to harvest the most delectable
• berry at just the right time falls on the
  shoulders of our capable winemaker and
• enologist. When determining the precise moment
  we reap a crop, our winemaker
• uses the most effective tool he hashis taste
  buds. Once premium flavor has been
• determined, our enologist scrutinizes random
  samples for harmonious brix, pH, and
• acidity levels. Once technical data confirms the
  time is right, plucking begins. Our
• grapes are handpicked because unlike mechanical
  harvesting, we believe our method of
• hand harvesting enables us to preserve the
  integrity of the grapes.

10
October

• Once again the vineyards become radiant
  with the technicolor hues of fall. Our Sonoma
  Coast Syrah started the month on the vine, but by
  midmonth it became the last fruit to enter the
  hopper and bring this crush to a close. Shorter
  days signal that it is time for a well deserved
  rest, and the vines prepare for dormancy by
  storing food for the winter. During this process
  the stems begin to swell, which cuts off water to
  the leaves. Without a water supply to support
  the chlorophyll, the leaves begin to lose their
  green tint and the vivid pigments, which are less
  copious, are able to take center stage.

11
November

• Harvest is officially over. The bounty has been
  gathered, de-stemmed, crushed,
• pressed, settled, decanted, and fermented. Many
  variables (some within our control and
• some not) have dictated the quality and quantity
  of this years crop. The foundation for a
• prolific harvest began with precise pruning in
  unison with our sustainable farming
• practices. We relinquish our control of the
  unknown to mother nature she will determine
• the forces that will either help or hinder the
  yield.

12
December


As winter precipitation matures into full blown
storms, the summers crispy chestnut-tinted
hillsides begin to transform into cushy green
corduroy slopes. The rains provide no
nourishment to the dormant vines, but do
administer sustenance to the advancing cover
crop. Next month pruning will commence.