Dear Correspondents—

It is a wonderful time here in Napa. There is much that is deeply challenging and difficult in the rest of the world; our concerns are small and local but still they move us. And, at least under our roof, we feel gratitude.

When I last wrote you, we were about to bring in sorely compromised fruit after a fall marked by cool weather and mold-igniting rains. Syrah was on the ground all over Napa, and our Petite Sirah was knotted with botrytis.

We thought that we would be fortunate to make wine that was even good. Now it is 23 days later and all of the red fruit was so strong that every single red fermentation is still on the skins. The Petite Sirah is beautiful—more elegant than it has ever been, like a small church with arches that are high and slender. The Hudson Syrah has never been more fragrant; the wine is macerating now without further punchdowns. It is meaty, but still like rare beef tenderloin; less like roast venison. And Chuy Cabernet is not finished fermenting; I go to the winery every day for its daily punchdown. The wine will be powerful, focused, incisive. We will make red wine this year better than any previous year. The cool was good; the mold interesting—at worst. I offer you a detailed report, with photos, here.

I also write to announce that we have released magnums and 3000ml bottles for your holiday shopping excitement. It is the first time in nearly 5 years that we have created any. They are beautiful, bottled by hand and finished with beeswax. There is nearly every wine from our last two releases; but we have created only a few instances of each.

Lastly, we will be hosting a tasting of library wines on December 6 at Union Square Wines in New York City. If I think that you live near NY or have attended other events there, I will send you a separate invitation. You may see more about the event, or RSVP, here.

As always, I look forward to hearing from you. I hope that it is a great weekend.