Avenue Vine: What’s Been Going On out at Nicholson Ranch?

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April 22, 2008

What’s Been Going On out at Nicholson Ranch?

It's a Bud's Life

As predicted, budbreak began in our hillside Chardonnay on March 10th! Our Pinot Noir budded out next, followed by the Chardonnay on the valley floor, then the Merlot and finally the Syrah on April 1st (no fooling!). Our photos were taken over six days of the same bud and show the amazing speed at which a little bud develops. The first two months of a bud's life are called "The Grand Period of Growth," for very obvious reasons!

I love this time of year! I get on my tractor and head into the vineyard mowing the cover crop and making sure the vines are getting off to a strong start. A critical task, and not a very glamorous one, is monitoring the nighttime temperatures and turning on the wind machine when the temps drop towards 32 degrees. Some years, this is light duty. This year so far, I've gone out in the vineyard 13 of the past 21 nights, and it is tiring. The cold nights are partly due to our dry weather pattern of late. If it's cloudy and rainy, we won't have frost. However, there's been very little rainfall since February, so we've had a greater potential for frost.

In the winery, we will soon bottle our 2006 reserve wines (Cuvée Natalie and Cactus Hill) as well as our 2006 Estate Syrah, our 2006 Las Madres and Bennett Valley Syrahs, and our new offerings of 2006 Russian River Valley Pinot Noir and 2006 Durell Vineyard Chardonnay. Lots of exciting wines for you to enjoy!

In the Tasting Room we are seeing many visitors from near and far, and we hope to see you again soon! If you live close by, we'd love to have you join in our annual "Walk Above The Vines" offered both Saturday May 3rd and Sunday May 4th (more information below).

Cheers,
Ramona Nicholson

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Annual Hike to the Chapel and Beyond
Saturday, May 3rd 10:00 am to 2:00 pm
Sunday, May 4th 10:00 am to 2:00 pm

Due to popular demand, we've added an additional day for our Annual Hike to the Chapel.

Join us when, once again, Ramona and Deepak lead the annual hike to the Historic Chapel On The Hill and beyond! The wildflower show varies from year to year, from demure to audacious, but the wine is always sure to shine! It's a pretty good push to the top of the hill for a classic gourmet picnic in the shade of our "Grandmother Oak." There follows an easy downhill stroll through the vineyards and back to the Winery. As always, winetasting stations along the trail allow trekkers to enjoy our new releases in a beautiful ranch setting. A delight for the senses, the hike features glorious views of Sonoma Valley, the Carneros and San Pablo Bay, as well as red tail hawks and red shoulder hawks a-courtin' overhead. The hike costs $55 for the public, $45 for Nicholson Ranch Wine Club members, and $25 for youth ages 10 - 20 years old.

Tickets sell out very quickly. Make reservations by calling Nicholson Ranch at 707-938-8822, Ext. 15.