Tempranillo on 8-6-12.  Tempranillo is our earliest ripening red grape,

and is protected by overhead bird netting.

Touriga nacional (Quinta) on 8-6-12.  Our Quinta touriga is protected by overhead

bird netting.

Primitivo on 8-6-12.  Primitivo is one of our earlier-ripening varieties and was helped

along by aggressive cluster thinning in late July.

Barbera vines on 8-6-12.  Veraison has only recently commenced and is in progress

in this Montevina clone vine.  Extensive cluster thinning was completed in mid-July.

Barbera vines on 7-15-12.

Primitivo vine on 7-15-12.

Primitivo vineyard looking east on 7-15-12.

Touriga nacional (Quinta) on 7-15-12.

Primitivo vineyard on 6-22-12 from back hilltop, looking east.

Barbera vineyard on 6-22-12, looking east.

Touriga nacional in the Quinta on 6-12-22, looking west.

This is our obligatory annual picture of a snow-covered vineyard. The magical moment arrived on the morning of March 18, 2012 following an overnight dusting. This is looking east over the barbera vineyard toward the Sierra Nevada.

Probably our favorite time of the year in the vineyard: Vines pruned for the coming season and cuttings mulched, cover crop green but not overgrown yet, beautiful spring weather conditions. This is looking east over the barbera vineyard on April 5, 2012.

The primitivo vineyard following winter pruning in February, looking east toward the snow-capped Sierra Nevada.

Our three pet alpacas on patrol in the primitivo vineyard in February.

Looking east down a barbera row on 9/8/11.  Main fruit clusters are almost fully colored; seconds remain green.

Looking west down a primitivo row on 9/8/11.  Veraison essentially complete in main fruit clusters; some leaf senescence toward base of shoots.

Looking west at “new” touriga nacional (2009) on 9/8/11.  Veraison almost complete on main fruit clusters.

Touriga nacional row in “The Quinta”.  Nothing left but the waiting…

Barbera vineyard looking from north on 8-22-11.  We don’t think we’ve ever seen the barbera vines looking this good so late in the season.  Though not visible from this distant shot, veraison is in progress.

Primitivo vineyard looking from west on 8-23-11.  Generally healthy vines and veraison well underway.

A grape-laden primitivo vine on 8-23-11.  This one is on the back hilltop which runs ahead of the rest of the primitivo vineyard in ripening, but illustrating that dark grapes really are on their way!

Looking down a row of the Portugese varietal vineyard (the Quinta) on 8-23-11.  This vineyard is completely netted with overhead netting at this point to protect from birds.

Barbera vineyard on July 5, 2011.  Substantial secondary shoot growth has filled out the vines since shoot thinning, and the fruit clusters are growing rapidly.

The primitivo vineyard on July 5, 2011 from the back hilltop.  It’s a very healthy sea of green at this point, and the fruit is set.

Touriga nacional in port (quinta) vineyard on July 5, 2011.  Shoots are thinned and tucked in the fruiting wires, and the fruit is set.  The black line above and running across the row is overhead bird netting, which will be unfurled when the fruit is closer to harvest.

The barbera vineyard on June 13, 2011.  Shoots thinned, grass mowed…the last illusion of farmer being in control this season!

The primitivo vineyard on June 13, 2011.  Shoots growing rapidly; thinning ahead…

Barbera between hail storms on May 15, 2011.  Young shoots push from buds left behind after pruning, plus everywhere else.  One of the joys of growing barbera…

Primitivo on May 15, 2011.  Young shoots come from buds left from pruning and almost nowhere else.  Note grass browning out between rows, reflecting the loss of moisture from surface soil and the annual life cycle of our native grasses.

The “quinta” (Portugese varietal vineyard) on May 15, 2011.  The trellised shoots are off to the races, and will benefit from the recent removal of a large tree to the south which in past seasons cast some shade plus aided and abetted irrigation-line chewing squirrels.