Ah.....the sweet smell of grapes in the air.  We had our fist BIG day of harvest yesterday and we are officially in full swing in the Napa Valley.  We brought in 26 tons of predominantly Cabernet Sauvignon yesterday at the winery and thinks are looking good.  After a stressful growing season with everything mother nature could throw at us - late spring rains during bloom, cool summer temperatures and an early fall rain - we are finally bringing in the 2011 vintage.  The grapes look great and the flavors are fantastic.  We are still yet to harvest any of the estate fruit, and we have some nice extended rain free weather through the end of October to help us out.  Come by and check out the estate Cabernet grapes and join us for a harvest tour.

At last, a harvest update from us for 2011!  Usually this time of year we would have already made a few posts about harvest, with some of our fruit nearly ready to pick.  Not the case for this year.  While the rest of the US has been baking away this summer we have been stuck in an unusually cool weather pattern here in Northern California.  I know, it is hard to believe for those on the east coast and in the mid-west.  We are begging for some of that summer heat.  What does all of this mean for the grapes?  We are running about 4-6 weeks behind for harvest.  The grapes at the estate here at the winery are just starting to wrap up verasion (the color change on our Cabernet from green to red).  Not all bad news though, if we get the expected Aug-Sept-Oct heat that we are accustom to here in the valley this could lead to an incredible vintage with extended hang time and harvest into the end of October.  So, send us some heat and wishes for a bountiful harvest!  We will try and keep everyone up to date with the latest harvest news as the grapes begin ripening.

Stop by and see us soon if you haven't been in for a while.  You won't even recognize it! Our new tasting room is complete, with our new bar and a custom ipad app to boot!  It is the perfect time to come to the valley, with this years harvest around the corner.

The dust has settled and the new bar is in!  The room looks amazing.  We are still putting in the final touches with new furniture arriving this week ad new light fixtures to come....but it is really incredible!  Come join us soon to check out our all new tasting bar with lots of elbow room and a welcoming environment.  Still too come in the next few days - ipads on the bar for tasting notes!  Can't wait to see you all soon!

Renovations have begun on our winery tasting room.  We are taking out a few small walls and created a new and improved tasting experience for all of our guests at the winery.  In the mean time, we are having our tastings on the patio while the dust settles inside.  We should be ready to unveil our new room just in time for our Maximus Release Event on May 21st.  Hopefully you can join us!

It is official, spring has arrived, and just in time for Easter weekend!  Just over the past week our vines have started waking up from their long winter slumber.  Budbreak has officially begun.  This is great timing here in the valley, as we are past all of our wintery March weather and cold nights of the past month.  These tiny buds are going to eventuate into our 2011 harvest.  The weather is warming and the temps are perfect here in the valley for a nice safe bloom in the coming weeks.  Come out and join us soon for a vineyard and winery tour to get a look up close!

Phew...it has been a wild weather ride the last few weeks in the Napa Valley.  February arrived with unseasonably warm weather.....82 degrees on Super Bowl Sunday??????  The month go even crazier as the warn turned to cold and our mountains surrounding the winery were covered with snow for days on end and a few flakes even graced our presence on the valley floor.  Lucky for us, the vines were dormant through the up and down temps and we haven't had any frost concerns yet.  We have had calls from all around the country asking if the cold weather has affected the grapes and so far so good.  With the mustard in full bloom and the cherry blossoms waking throughout the valley, we are getting closer to our annual bud break - and hopefully some warmer nights ahead.

Check it out!  We had an incredible time at our Cabernet Release eventlast weekend, with one of the highlights being our barrel demonstration from Nadalie.  Click Read More link below and watch our video of the demonstration.

Wow!  What an incredible week in the valley.  We know, it is only January and we shouldn't get too excited(we have plenty of cold wet weather ahead), but the valley is beautiful right now!  Not only are the temps near 70 degrees, but we are getting our first peek at Mustard season.  This is one of the most amazing times of the year to enjoy the Napa Valley.  Come see us soon and catch the views of mustard growing between our vine rows.

We had big news over the holidays at Bennett Lane Winery!  In the December issue of Robert Parkers The Wine Advocate we were awarded some stellar scores.  These are the first reviews that the winery has received from Robert Parker and we are all thrilled to share the news.  Our 2007 Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon was awarded 92 Points and described as an "impressively endowed beauty"!  There were only 250 cases produced and very few left.  Our yet to be released 2007 Maximus Red Feasting Wine scored 90 Points!  An incredible score for this $35 Napa blend.  Stay tuned for a release date or call today for information on futures.  Last but certainly not least, our latest addition to the lineup at Bennett Lane, the Turn 4 Cabernet, received praise as well.  With a score of 89 Points Parkers says "Wow!  Look what I found!  Bennett Lane's 2008 Cabernet Sauvignon Turn 4 is a sensational bargain in Napa Valley Cabernet, the type of wine that consumers should be buying by the case."  This 2008 vintage is sold out, but we can take orders for futures on the 2009 which has an anticipated release date in late spring 2011.  Thank you to all of our fans who have known the caliber of wines for years and welcome to all of our new fans just discovering Bennett Lane wines this year!