I just did the winemaker notes for our 2008 Old Vine Merlot.  “Wow!”  You know there is really something special about old vines.  The wines that they produce have a certain elegance about them that cannot be reproduced.   At Kestrel’s Estate Vineyard, in the Yakima Valley, we are lucky enough to have Chardonnay, Cabernet and [...]

All too often I have to go stand in a store somewhere and try to sell Kestrel wine.  This is a really hard job, since I can’t pour the wine.  I am there like the sample ladies, but all I can do is sign people’s bottles.  Big whoopee!  Occasionally, you do experience some really interesting [...]

November 3rd, 2012 It is Saturday night and Juan, Mariano and myself are here working away.  We have pressed four loads of grapes so far today and we still have one to go.  The good news is that we finished receiving grapes yesterday.  There were points at which I felt we would never make it.  [...]

October 29th, 2012 I am mentally and physically weary.  I can hardly keep my eyes open, and my body aches.  It’s quickly approaching Halloween and I’m estimating that we have 105 tons of Cabernet to pick.  That looks and feels like a lot.   Usually we are wrapping things up about now.  Not this year.  Everything [...]

October 22, 2012 We are over 80% done now.  Still just running like chickens with our heads cut off.  But I did have some unusual and exciting things happen over the last few days.  On Friday I was approached by Milt from Milt’s Original Gourmet BBQ Pellets.  He is this guy who takes grape pomace, mixes [...]