Dear Correspondents,

I have sent you some rather gloomy reports recently. I had begun to feel like a Napa Valley Cassandra. And as I travelled the country this year, many friends and colleagues said—"I've heard that it's the best growing season in years, maybe ever! How do you feel about harvest?" And I would say: “I have read too much tragedy to say anything that might invite the scourge of the gods. The weather is great. About harvest? Who knows?”

I am not revising that stance with this report. But my vineyards are too beautiful, their fruit too perfect, not to tell you. I still predict nothing about harvest: we could have blistering heat over Labor Day, and every perfect cluster could get cooked to Doom; October could come and go without an 80 degree day, and Cabernet could hang again, unripe and moldy. But right now? The vineyards are stunning, such perfect examples of the wonder of nature and creation, that I must let you know.

I have never, in 14 years of looking at vineyards, seen such perfect display of fruit: vines spontaneously in balance, with just the right number of clusters of just the right size, beautifully arranged in space. This is not simply an effect of nice weather—it must be the accumulation of many factors: good and bad weather over the last few years, proper irrigation regimes, excellent pruning and shoot-thinning. We went to Guman last week to cluster-thin—and put 8 clusters on the ground. From more than 250 vines. Nothing was out of place. And the clusters are universally small (half of their normal size in the Prince section of Farina), mostly loose, with small berries. They have all reached full growth and are now beginning to ripen.

The show in the vineyards is indeed promising—and we can marvel at the beauty, praise the perfection, without ever hubristicaly predicting anything about harvest. So this report is simply a message of praise and thanks. Without counting on a thing.

When I am not in the vineyards now, I am working on the next release. I am going to get it out to you in about a week. I am still working on some names (for a reserve Hudson syrah) and a lot of new label designs. And I am working on a new way to sell my wine. I will tell you more soon; for now, let us just say that I am emulating a model more common to the world of design, not wine. As always, it's an exciting time.