February Newsletter 2026

The foundation of a great bottle of wine is high quality fruit. The mutually beneficial relationship between vines, soil, and animals is vital in achieving that.

Pruning is one of the first steps in the vineyard’s yearly cycle. In the quiet of winter, we carefully trim the vine shoots to shape their growth and balance for the future. Each cut is intentional, leaving a spur and a cane on each side, carefully positioned to ensure the uninterrupted flow of water and nutrient from root to shoot tip, helping the vine focus its energy on producing the ideal load of healthy fruit in the season ahead. The removed canes were stripped from the trellis and ground into mulch, and as the mulch slowly decomposes it returns nutrients to the soil.

With pruning complete, the sheep are now grazing in the vineyard. Sheep and vineyards share a long history, dating back to when vines were part of diversified working farms. As conventional farming became widespread in the twentieth century, this relationship largely disappeared, replaced by tractors, herbicides, and synthetic fertilizers. Today, we are intentionally restoring it.

As the flock moves through the vineyard, they naturally manage cover crop growth, reducing the need for mowing machinery. The organic nutrients they consume are returned directly to the soil—an essential part of our Regenerative Organic® Certification. Their hooves gently pierce the soil’s surface, aiding natural aeration and helping prevent pooling of surface water.

We will host our sheep for about a month, just ahead of budbreak—the next exciting phase of the growing season