With all the rain we've been having this year (thanks El Niño!), we're spending any dry days pruning in the vineyard. It's a really big job that has to be done by hand. Today, my niece Serena is happily helping as our chihuahua Edith, observes from the comfort of her sling. Serena's pruning the old Cabernet Sauvignon vines which my father planted in the 80's.

We're pruning last year's growth now, so the vines will be ready to send out new shoots in the spring. Grapes will grow from the shoots on vertical "spurs" which we make from the one-year-old fruiting canes. We have to keep a balance between pruning enough and too much. The right amount keeps the plant growing strong, while pruning too much creates bushy growth which shades the grapes and negatively impacts the ripening of the fruit.

The old vines are less productive but the fruit they produce is richer, with more concentrated flavors. This translates into wine with more character and less tannins—overall more balanced flavors. We dry farm these vines, because the plants have crazy deep roots now that they're older. Thankfully this means we don't have to water them much over the summer months and we have these sturdy old vines that have reliable flavor year after year.