Author: Paul

We decided to take a mini-road trip on Memorial Day and visit all* of the vineyards we take care of.

We left San Jose at 9a.m. and dragged Kathy and Millie along with us.

The vineyard agenda was:

Woodruff Vineyard, Corralitos
Llama Vineyard, Bonny Doon
Arastradero Vineyard, Los Altos Hills
Harrison Vineyard, Los Altos Hills
Private Consultation site, no photos – also Los Altos Hills
Elandrich Vineyard, Portola Valley
*Chaine d’Or in Woodside would have been here on the tour, but we skipped it
Crimson Clover Vineyard, Morgan Hill
Sessen Vineyard, Coyote Valley
Haut Tubee (home), San Jose

Photos are uploaded here: http://www.bubbleshare.com/album/388768

Given that the Summit Road Fire was at 80% containment yesterday, we noted several groups of fire trucks headed home, thank goodness for that. We passed the “road closed” signage and the Red Cross station at the center of town in Corralitos (where much of the filmed news reports were taking place over the last several days) and only one remaining tv crew truck was on site.
Several of the houses, fences, gates, had home made signs thanking Cal Fire and the firemen who came to their aid.

We walked through the vines, saw Pete on the tractor mowing the grass between rows and snapped some photos before heading back over the hill part way to Bonny Doon. A quick tour through that vineyard and a few extra moments chatting with the owner about the watering schedule for the new plants and we were in Scotts Valley for a noon time snack. Yep, 3 hours, only 2 sites so far.

Heading north on 85 to 280 we chatted about Kathy and Millies trip to Washington DC and dining at Fogo de Chao, good eats.

Paul and I walked to the top of the Arastradero site, vertical stairs (!) and were amazed by how much vigor there was – it was like a jungle between the rows. Next stop was the new vineyard that Paul and Millie installed last summer and though we saw frost damage a month ago, the vines have all recovered and sent long healthy shoots.

A quick drive up the next hillside and Paul stopped in for a private consultation for a guy growing ~100 assorted vines that he is determined to get fruit from this year (past problems with powdery mildew have left him with no fruit for several seasons). I took no photos at this site but did see a jack rabbit that took off before I could get the camera ready.

Next stop, Elandrich in Portola Valley. This site was a major re-hab project when we took it on and we are smitten with the results. There is still some unknown pest though on a handful of the plants so I took several photos of that to see if we can find someone who can tell us what it is and what we should do, if anything. The zinfandel was doing great, the Merlot was happy, and all of the usual trouble spots were still troubling though still doing so much better than our first visit to the site.

At 2:30 we were back on 280 to 85 to 101 south. More fire trucks on the road headed home, I tried to get mobile photos from the car, but again, by the time the camera was on and ready, they were well past us – caravans of 5 to 7 fire trucks at a time.

The homeowner at the Crimson Clover vineyard in Morgan Hill was on his riding mower and cleaning up between the rows when we got there. The cover crop between rows here is Crimson Clover, which is gorgeous when it’s in full bloom and lush green with bright red tops, but by now, it’s dry and done and though the rows don’t really need to be mowed it sure does look better when it’s done. A blue jay kept flying through the site while we were there so we addressed that issue with the owner since there will be tons of fruit to harvest (thus requiring netting to keep out the birds) this year.

Almost done.

Our last stop was in Coyote Valley, also a Morgan Hill address, but further north on the outskirts of San Jose is the Sessen Vineyard (though I’m not certain yet if that’s what they plan to call it or if I’m even spelling it correctly). This site is an installation we just planted a month ago. The little vines are looking great though you have to search for them in the tall grass and clover (yep, we put in the same crimson clover here too). We’ll get the site mowed soon and do some weed control under the rows, as well as get the wires installed. No real urgency just yet on the wires as the plants are barely 6″ off the ground.

It was just around 5 p.m. when we pulled in to the driveway at home, a full day with a short lunch break and market stop for rib eyes.

Kathy and Millie stayed over for dinner; fresh bread, baked potatoes, chard, and rib eyes. We opened a Belle Pente Rose to refresh ourselves with snacks while the food cooked, then Paul opened a couple of Bordeaux’s to have with dinner (a ’98 and ’01 Calon Segur).

The road trip was just about 190 miles…billable under vineyard management.

I was glad to take the day and see all each of the sites in one shot, it gave us all a full glance into what each vineyard is up to right now. Most are in full bloom and showing great fruit set, all look spectacular. Our guys are working hard for us and it shows.

Yesterday we drove over to Corralitos as part of visits to every vineyard we manage (more on that 8 hour 190 mile trip later). Things were calm and the town square was mostly empty. Home made ‘Thank You Firefighters’ signs were up everywhere.

We saw lots of fire crews on the roads, either headed home (North), or to Uvas Canyon (South). There was a real good sense that the Corralitos area is safe and returning to normal. It looked like there were two active areas of the fire from the smoke we could see, and that it had moved back to 5-6 miles from the Hazell Dell Road, Browns Valley Road junction.

The CDF is reporting more than 70% containment now anf that 100% containment should happen tonight.

The CDF is now reporting that the fire is 60% contained. It looks like a succesful stand was made at Redwood Road and Hazell Dell Road at the south edge of the fire and that area is no longer in danger. Windy Oaks has reported that they’ve been told they are no longer in danger.

The fire looks like it has been held at the northern edge of Uvas Canyon as well. There’s an access road to the summit, that’s one of the hardest hikes in the Bay Area, and a claring near the top of the canyon, and it appears crews have stopped the fire there. Keeping the fire out of the canyon would have been a priority.

Once a fire gets into a canyon in California it becomes critical. Canyons become wind funnels and push flames up the sides and out, spreading the fire as flames race up the sides. There was an advatage in this fire as the fire was entering the canyon from the top, and not the bottom, making it easier to stop.

It looks like the fire has been stopped in the critical areas near housing and crews will now work to contain it in the more wild areas.

Just caught up on reports of the fire and it’s mostly positive news. The weather has been cool, and the winds down the last two days. It looks like the crews were able to stop the fire at the junction of Hazell Dell Road and Browns Valley Road.

The Woodruff’s look to be out of any danger now. We’re planning on trying a visit tomorrow to see the vineyard, but suspect we won’t be able to get past the fire lines. I’ll send off a note today to Pete and Barbara to see how they are.

Reed’s Vineyard also seems out of danger now, and there’s no chance of the fire moving down Redwood Retreat Road and getting close to Martin Ranch or Fernwood Cellars.

The bad news is that it has moved into Uvas Canyon Park. The area just east of the park is more populated than the areas the fire has been burning in so far, and the construction is much older, which means very poor fire clearance and breaks. Almost all the housing in the area is build right into the forest.

Some good pictures of the density of the forest in the area are at :

http://3dparks.wr.usgs.gov/3Dbayarea/html/UvasCanyon.htm

For a referance point on where the fire is to us, check out our lable. The view from the label is the view from our backyard. The fire is burning right behind the twin peaks you see on the left side of the label.

We’re fine. Working the day jobs as normal today. Herardo was scheduled to work in the Woodruff Family Vineyard today, but I sent him to the Harrison Vineyard and Elandrich vineyard in Los Altos instead.

We could see Reed’s vineyard and home in the TV coverage last night. We consulted there and helped him put in the vineyard. He hasn’t called me, but I’m sure he evacuated. IF you check out this map:

map

He is located right where the color of the vegitation changes on Summit Road, south of the fire. There’s a cluster of houses there, with a good cleared fire area, so it’s likely that if the fire does reach that area it will be defended hard and they should be able to save the houses. The vineyard is organic, so all metal, but the plants could be lost. The big risk I think is that they’ve probably already drained his tanks so there’s no water left for the vineyard.

I just spoke with Barbara Woodruff. The are located on Brown’s Valley Road, just south of Avocado Road. If you check the map there you can see the terraced vineyard. It’s also an area that can be defended well. They have the tractor out now incase they need to help cut a fire line. They have heard a rumor that they are in an evacuation area, but they are going to stay. They can see the smoke on Redwood Road, and the helicopter activity, it looks to them to be about a mile away now. Barbara said it looks like they are changing out the fire crews as there have been trucks on the road for the last 20 minutes.

She seemed fine and we spent more time talking about who I’d sell the grapes too this year than the fire.

Windy Oaks actually looks to be a bit closer at this point. If you follow the junction where Brown’s Valley Road turns into Hazel Dell Road, and follow that, Windy Oaks is at Hazel Dell and Sweetwood. I got the email from Judy yesterday as well that they were fine. I suspect she’s just not wanting to answer the phone so hopefully they’ll send out an update today. They are in a bit more rugged and wooded area than the Woodruff’s with less open farm land around, so a slight higher risk.

The weather is cooperating though and winds are down, so keep all fingers crossed.

The winds are calmer this morning and blowing north and west. The fog came in last night, and news this morning was that the fire is 40% contained.

It looks like Reed’s vineyard and home are ok from the maps we’ve seen, but I still have not heard from him.

I’ll call the Woodruffs this morning to see how they are doing. The fire was about 1 1/2 from the vineyard there. A close call and a reminder how dangerous the mountains can be. I worry all the time driving through places like Ben Lomand, or Redwood Estates, just how bad a fire would be in one of the more populated pockets of the Santa Cruz Mountains.

It looks like this one’s impact will be relatively small. The weather cooperated and the area of the fire is very sparsely populated.

Stef and I both just spotted Reed’s house and vineyard in the coverage.

http://abclocal.go.com/kgo/feature?section=news&id=6158710

http://localhost/wordpress/winesvineyards/vineyards.html

It looks like the fire is 200-300 yards away. The house looked empty. The fire crews will not try and save the vineyard it won’t be a priority. At the current time they are saying it is zero contained and they are focusing on evacuations and protecting homes in immediate danger.

Please see Dave Tong’s Blog for the latest news on the fire.

It is very close to several projects we’ve consulted on and about 3 miles from the Woodruff Family Vineyard. Ash is falling in the vineyard there. I’ve spoken with Pete and Barbara today and they are ok at the moment.

We know this area very well and the rugged roads are one reason we have the 4wd Toyota FJ Crusier as our vineyard car.

Brown Valley Road is closed and I was going to send the crew there tomorrow to spray at the Woodruff’s but that of course is off now.

I keep a journal that I call the ‘Work Order Book’. It contains the plan and schedules for all nine vineyards we have under our full time management. (I don’t include the Haut Tubee vineyard, or the 20 plants at the local church we take care of.)

Each vineyard has a list of tasks, the dates they should be done by, how long it should take, any equipment or training needed, and any conditions that should be met. For instance it says, “don’t spray Sulfur if the temps are over 90 degrees’.

Millie, Gerardo, and I each have a copy, and I keep it updated on a monthly basis. I mark off tasks as they are done, and insert maps, instructions, or notes that the crew will need. The Haut Tubee vineyard has actually turned into a training ground. Since everything happens in that vineyard a week or two before the others, I’m able to have the crew come over and we go over the upcoming tasks in detail.

We even let the roses get powdery mildew this year on purpose so that the crew could see it in all its stages and know what to look for in the vineyards. We’ve sprayed the roses now though, don’t want to miss out on Spring roses totally.

Monday I updated the Work Order Books, and guess what? We are totally caught up and on schedule. In each vineyard the plants have begun to flower, so now we just leave them alone and try not to disturb them at all.

There’s work to do in the winery, but for the next two weeks, it’s time for a break in the vineyards!

About 4 weeks ago I signed up on myspace. Stef had signed up because her brother Hans had signed up and sent her a note. So I thought I’d sign up too. What a pain in the ass the site was. After fighting with the set up process for 45 minutes, then spending 15 minutes figuring out how to get this Tom guy off my friends list I sent Stef a note:

“I’m on myspace now, you can make me your friend.”

to which she replied:

“I’m on facebook dumbass.”

🙂

So off to facebook a went. That was a marginally less stupid sign up and set up process and there was a feature to actually find people I already know who were on facebook. So I sent notes off to about a dozen people and had about a dozen people add me in. Stef even posted on my ‘board’:

“Facebook = Lamebook“.

Feeling the web 2.0 love.

But I gave it a try and I think I’ve learned I am squarely in the generation that this stuff is not meant for.

I’ve still got those 10-12 people linked on facebook, but I find the site about as compelling as Miracle Whip. I’ve got no reason to go there or use it, and it doesn’t really beat actually talking to those 10-12 people. I’d rather invite them over, open a bottle of wine and catch up with them, than read what they did today on line.

Myspace, well that’s ‘Lameface‘. I’m proud to be friendless. Not that I don’t get offers every few days from ‘Rachel’, or ‘Lisa”, to come be their friends and look at the naughty pictures they took, but I really didn’t need another way for SPAM to reach me. I do take a certain joy though in marking those invites as SPAM. It always amazes me that their ‘profiles’ have notes from 10-15 guys who added them as friends with such witty commentary as ‘Yo baby, thanks for lookin me up’. Which brings me back to the Miracle Whip commentary as in, “these guys are dumber than Miracle Whip.”

So, you can send me an add request. I might get to it. You might even be the first myspace person to not be a porn site, but I’d still rather invite you over for a bottle of wine.