I remember my English teachers always asking "what is the turning point in this book?" At 13 years old, I didn't really grasp the importance of turning points, not really having experienced any in my short time on the planet. It wasn't until much later that I really lit up from recognizing the turning points [...]

As I am getting the 2011 Cinsault ready for bottling on August 31st, the 2012 season is knocking on the door. The warm summer, which was overdue after the last two years, has this year's harvest ahead of schedule. It is only one week early for normal standards, but it is 3 weeks early compared [...]

Working with fruit from the Bechthold vineyard makes winemaking super easy. Each year without fail the strawberry rhubarb aromas jump out of the glass after only a couple months aging in neutral oak. I hardly have to do anything to the Cinsault during aging. This month, I ran some fining trials to see if a [...]

Creating Onesta has been a whirlwind adventure for me. The company started with a thought while lying in bed one morning asking myself, "What is the most important aspect of life for me?" The answer came surprisingly easy, truth and honesty with myself and others. Truth wines was already taken so I searched for truth [...]

I have been working with the Cinsault from the Bechthold Vineyard since 2001, which is just a blink of time relative to the 130 years of sunrises and sunsets these vines have witnessed. I was introduced to this vineyard while I was working for the infamous Randall Graham at Bonny Doon Vineyard. We used the [...]