I have so much to tell you, and I hope that you will pardon me. I am terrified of burying the lead—so first I will tell you about an amazing tour that is about to take place—and then I will fill you in on several events closer to home.

Here are the topics:

I am still dazed that I got to do this. I spent a week in Japan, presenting Scholium to chefs,sommeliers, wine buyers, wine writers. I am going to focus on a narrow and specific aspect of what I learned. I got whatever small—truly narrow, obscured—insight a complete outsider to a culture, who does not even speak its language, can get. And this is what I saw. There is a new wave of interest in wines sweeping through Japan. It is hitting young people—most of the people that I met with were in their 20s. Only one person, a chef-owner, was my age. These young people are finding the the funds, the financing, to open new restaurants. Everything—nearly everything, and perhaps nearly everything good—in Tokyo is small. Twelve seats, 16, 24. Open kitchens. Everybody sharing in the work: chefs serving food, clearing tables, but still—there are sommeliers, who might also help with kitchen prep, and who certainly clear tables.

And what they are all crazy about is "natural wine," "vin naturel." France plays a guiding role; the Loire is a kind of Promised Land. We need not define this odd term here, but I can tell that what everyone meant by it there was UNCONVENTIONAL WINE. The wines might be low in sulfur, perhaps biodyamic—these were certainly features of attraction. But no one was dogmatic, and, no doubt for many reasons—including the language barrier—no one wanted to discuss what was natural wine. It was a term that held charm and promise, but that did not seem to be embroiled in dogma or polemics. And this in turn was either due to, or led to, this very important feature of the enthusiasm that I saw there: it was not tied to regimented knowledge.

I know that there is a vast interest in Burgundy in Japan, and that some of the most accomplished sommeliers in the world work there and trade in the Grand Crus—but the people that I met, the people who were open to or interested in a kind of Californian wine that they had never seen before—these people had no interest in received knowledge, in classifications, in auction values, in worshipping any wines. They were pioneers, but not rebels. There was no establishment for them to rebel against—no Bordeaux to ignore, no California Cab to despise—there was instead Terra Incognita, open sea, an uncharted world of wine. Everything was new and could be good. It was wonderful and fascinating to be in the midst of such completely ingenuous passion and enthusiasm. There is no movement quite like it here. It makes Japan, or at least this small, very young, corner of Japan a beautiful, warm, home for Scholium—and for Lambrusco, and lots else.

we harvested two-thirds of the Tenbrink's olives on October 5 and rushed them to the amazing mill at Il Fiorello. This was three weeks earlier than we picked last year. Since the beginning, we have been harvesting earlier, with fruit less ripe, than nearly anyone else milling at Il Fiorello—and we feel that we have enjoyed great success and that you love our

We will bottle the oil next week and begin shipping immediately. You may order your bottles here. We will happily bottle a small number of 750s and magnums. Let us know whether you want one.

It is so easy to speak briefly about this.

This was our finest harvest ever. I mean this in two ways, equally important. First: the quality of the fruit, from vineyard to vineyard, from the beginning of the harvest to end, has never been higher. Second: the ease, delight, and success of our work has never been more perfect. Day after day felt like a treat, like an adventure, like a kid's day at an amusement park. We made decisions; they turned out well. We took chances; they were rewarded. We worked well and hard, but we were also so fortunate. I look back and my gratitude is like a lake.

My friend Len, who is a remarkably generous host, proposed a year ago that we raid his cellar and hold a retrospective tasting of Scholium wines. He has them going back to 2005. He lives in NY, so we are headed there this weekend to attend his tasting, and hold the Scholium Project Harvest Party. Most of its events are secret, but we are going to hold a tasting for members of the mailing list, in conjunction with Len's retrospective, on Sunday afternoon. Alex, Brenna, Koko and I will host a sit-down, tutored tasting for 24 of you, with 20 wines dating back to 2002. The tasting will stretch from 4 to 6 PM on Saturday the 30th and be held in the traditional loft in Manhattan. We will, for the first time, serve snacks. This is a very special occasion!
The tickets will be $100 and will help to pay for the harvest party. Go here to purchase tickets.
If you are a member of the Obligants, we are delighted to host you as part of your membership; just email Brenna to save your place. Have no fear—if you cannot make this tasting with such late notice, we will hold 3 more over the following year—one more in NYC, and one each in Napa and Los Angeles.

Thank you so much for reading so far. Stay in touch.