http://www.altamarfa.com/blog1 daily 0.75 2018-08-15 http://www.altamarfa.com/blog1/2018/6/13/30-the-vines-are-in-the-ground monthly 0.5 2018-06-24 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57c2316e15d5db588d9e0465/1528933463327-AJR67YTFR7KOKNYUXX6V/IMG_0392.jpg Blog1 - 30. The Vines are in the Ground! https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57c2316e15d5db588d9e0465/1529454945042-XB971D9EFEE2YYGPLZT6/P1030102.jpg Blog1 - 30. The Vines are in the Ground! The night before most people arrived my mom made a wonderful dinner for the early arrivals. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57c2316e15d5db588d9e0465/1528933587660-O57W04ZNEKBNQKIKDZBA/IMG_0023.JPG Blog1 - 30. The Vines are in the Ground! Katie, George and Paulina waiting for the coffee to be ready. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57c2316e15d5db588d9e0465/1529453205425-0USVNE2ZW1S7VM4M2VXU/IMG_3305.JPG Blog1 - 30. The Vines are in the Ground! https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57c2316e15d5db588d9e0465/1528933255336-OA2WL37XVXHMBX0L4263/DSC_0136.JPG Blog1 - 30. The Vines are in the Ground! Mike getting his hands dirty. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57c2316e15d5db588d9e0465/1528933211736-6GAWNHVI7PIHJ9DBQJJD/DSC_0068.JPG Blog1 - 30. The Vines are in the Ground! A vine in its new home. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57c2316e15d5db588d9e0465/1528932948020-MEIKP824VATC6GUN57NA/DSC_0099.JPG Blog1 - 30. The Vines are in the Ground! Planting under the mountain https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57c2316e15d5db588d9e0465/1528933303510-0IHXF5646QGJ22HNH6WR/DSC_0329.JPG Blog1 - 30. The Vines are in the Ground! My dad, Chris and Tim working hard. Thanks guys! https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57c2316e15d5db588d9e0465/1528932992543-M66CELBG1LMLV9V986CH/DSC_0067.JPG Blog1 - 30. The Vines are in the Ground! https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57c2316e15d5db588d9e0465/1529454519565-1JZ4GP0R4KHW33JDFCPB/IMG_2771.jpg Blog1 - 30. The Vines are in the Ground! The volcanic soil was so abrasive and rocky that it cut up your fingers, even through gloves. George solved this problem by wrapping his fingertips in duct tape inside his gloves so that he could dig more comfortably. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57c2316e15d5db588d9e0465/1528933032816-BWZ0ZMNNNYHLBRE711B4/DSC_0069.JPG Blog1 - 30. The Vines are in the Ground! Pepe supervising https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57c2316e15d5db588d9e0465/1528933343280-XNSST8YWVRL8E4AHJDZZ/DSC_0497.JPG Blog1 - 30. The Vines are in the Ground! Aunt Fay was a champion root trimmer. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57c2316e15d5db588d9e0465/1528933071034-76041T71SX3HB1WJSB51/DSC_0092.JPG Blog1 - 30. The Vines are in the Ground! https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57c2316e15d5db588d9e0465/1529454793048-NUM3ZMN0V49IZOH7P8DJ/P1030106.jpg Blog1 - 30. The Vines are in the Ground! After spending more than a week outdoors, Pepe and Lulu must have thought, "I guess we will never see our couch again..." https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57c2316e15d5db588d9e0465/1528933411179-Z06TKNV3TMHZZP4Q0YWP/DSC_0552.JPG Blog1 - 30. The Vines are in the Ground! Even though we weren't done planting yet, this dinner at Stellina was a wonderful break in what for me was a nonstop two weeks of scrambling. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57c2316e15d5db588d9e0465/1528933508092-MCMZYUOWHEX71ONKEF7Y/DSC_0512.JPG Blog1 - 30. The Vines are in the Ground! Mike, Kevin, RJ, Garreth and Teresa, thanks guys! https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57c2316e15d5db588d9e0465/1528933551332-8UBF3SW8THGMHNUT1WEZ/DSC_0517.JPG Blog1 - 30. The Vines are in the Ground! Jordan, Casey and Tim, thanks guys! https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57c2316e15d5db588d9e0465/1528933697961-Z681VTG1E5WPGA9ZAIMJ/DSC_0525.JPG Blog1 - 30. The Vines are in the Ground! JZ, Alex and Teresa, thanks guys! https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57c2316e15d5db588d9e0465/1529453323471-P11M7WLP2MUJP4JMECCT/IMG_3362.JPG Blog1 - 30. The Vines are in the Ground! The whole group at Stellina in Marfa. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57c2316e15d5db588d9e0465/1529454857939-VN2QRG64E4XOW56LMN82/P1030161.jpg Blog1 - 30. The Vines are in the Ground! Here I am putting the last vine in the ground. Everyone was completely exhausted at this point. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57c2316e15d5db588d9e0465/1529454900818-NB74OYQ1ZD3OPVPAUUZI/P1030164.jpg Blog1 - 30. The Vines are in the Ground! This was the final crew that finished planting all the vines on Sunday after everyone else had left. I have so much gratitude for these guys that stuck around and made sure everything was done. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57c2316e15d5db588d9e0465/1529453509211-WUGVBTOIPH49GEW7R0XL/IMG_4518.JPG Blog1 - 30. The Vines are in the Ground! Five minutes after we finished the clouds rolled in and it started hailing! https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57c2316e15d5db588d9e0465/1529454397868-EZH7RN0UVAFNEN7XEFMF/IMG_2800.jpg Blog1 - 30. The Vines are in the Ground! Delirious https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57c2316e15d5db588d9e0465/1529454437253-LAGOUGQZ1QB7FMPHG236/P1030176+%281%29.jpg Blog1 - 30. The Vines are in the Ground! Everyone was definitely happy to be finished! https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57c2316e15d5db588d9e0465/1528933176033-9EZ6I0NO0Q2ALFQBUPW4/DSC_0061.JPG Blog1 - 30. The Vines are in the Ground! Here you can see all the pieces of the irrigation system except the well. Water flows from the silver storage tank through the solar powered irrigation pump, through the valve manifold, which is controlled by the irrigation controller, then is sent to any of 7 irrigation zones through the PVC pipes and into the drip tubing, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57c2316e15d5db588d9e0465/1529453585146-463C56UBQ6EEXH14JXH6/IMG_4539.JPG Blog1 - 30. The Vines are in the Ground! Irrigation Valves https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57c2316e15d5db588d9e0465/1529453448724-YJFE726PVWA04M0SJWRV/IMG_4535.JPG Blog1 - 30. The Vines are in the Ground! I didn't have a small enough screwdriver to open and close the electrical terminals and it would have taken over an hour to drive to buy one so I made one by grinding down this nail file. Worked great! https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57c2316e15d5db588d9e0465/1529453399337-RO5IC6VCTC6BBHH0Z4MV/IMG_4536.JPG Blog1 - 30. The Vines are in the Ground! https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57c2316e15d5db588d9e0465/1529454340587-20L40D8GXW3V7UCKTELR/IMG_2823.jpg Blog1 - 30. The Vines are in the Ground! While i was struggling to fix the irrigation controller, a huge wild fire started just over the mountain and was filling the air with smoke. Fires can be extremely dangerous in the area because of the strong winds and the extreme dryness. http://www.altamarfa.com/blog1/2018/6/1/29-first-weekend-of-planting monthly 0.5 2018-06-04 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57c2316e15d5db588d9e0465/1528053293473-7ER0VHI5XFCER2T5F5L2/P1030011.jpg Blog1 - 29. First Weekend of Planting This facial expression pretty well describes what it was like digging 4,000+ holes with an excavator on the side of a hill for a week. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57c2316e15d5db588d9e0465/1528053254770-31ZMWD16YYCOJ8MIPAHZ/P1020994.jpg Blog1 - 29. First Weekend of Planting So. Many. Holes. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57c2316e15d5db588d9e0465/1528054958682-AL538WVS2N35SF95R976/IMG_4428.JPG Blog1 - 29. First Weekend of Planting Yikes! https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57c2316e15d5db588d9e0465/1528053210350-6JCLYK17KQH82VNIPCWF/IMG_2708.jpg Blog1 - 29. First Weekend of Planting Here is my dad working on the irrigation system. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57c2316e15d5db588d9e0465/1528055818044-9KJHE75RBED67DAY352B/P1030006.jpg Blog1 - 29. First Weekend of Planting Workin' https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57c2316e15d5db588d9e0465/1528055840329-LK7Z991OZTZ5VVBMKV5E/P1030028.jpg Blog1 - 29. First Weekend of Planting Here is a homemade tool we built to help snap the drip emitters into the drip line. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57c2316e15d5db588d9e0465/1528055861218-PZV91TPY3SJYJV8YU0O0/P1030025.jpg Blog1 - 29. First Weekend of Planting Jim (Katie's dad) was the official champion of hole punching. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57c2316e15d5db588d9e0465/1528053319086-CPGX4I3NKDV58H1YR1AR/P1030055.jpg Blog1 - 29. First Weekend of Planting The vines arriving! https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57c2316e15d5db588d9e0465/1528053347898-1JRZI6MBWHJAJFSC86XC/P1030058.jpg Blog1 - 29. First Weekend of Planting The first thing the delivery driver said was, "where am I gonna turn around?" to which i replied, "...uhh" https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57c2316e15d5db588d9e0465/1528053385390-45S38ZJ5ZXIX2ZMFTBEJ/P1030063.jpg Blog1 - 29. First Weekend of Planting https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57c2316e15d5db588d9e0465/1528053402208-AFTQJUOH219INHWSUHJK/P1030066.jpg Blog1 - 29. First Weekend of Planting https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57c2316e15d5db588d9e0465/1528053427259-7BNOB26YUM8SDAHFTE6T/P1030070.jpg Blog1 - 29. First Weekend of Planting https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57c2316e15d5db588d9e0465/1528053445693-EW44P7CZMSKSU01V9E4E/image-asset.jpeg Blog1 - 29. First Weekend of Planting https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57c2316e15d5db588d9e0465/1528053478159-300FBTNCV07C2OE6BBAI/image-asset.jpeg Blog1 - 29. First Weekend of Planting Figuring out how to trim the vine roots. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57c2316e15d5db588d9e0465/1528053233369-RE1NIEN7RN8NUV2UMDVL/IMG_2729.jpg Blog1 - 29. First Weekend of Planting The first vine being planted! https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57c2316e15d5db588d9e0465/1528053495979-PW1TFYGR2RWJBB3Y642T/P1030082.jpg Blog1 - 29. First Weekend of Planting Hard to say why I like this picture so much. It sort of reminds me of Thriller though. http://www.altamarfa.com/blog1/2018/4/17/28-its-time-for-planting monthly 0.5 2018-04-17 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57c2316e15d5db588d9e0465/1523981803989-T2882VN6KI1EDJWX686K/IMG_4121.JPG Blog1 - 28. It's Time For Planting! Katie and her sister Lauren working! https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57c2316e15d5db588d9e0465/1523984648759-DI5GH8PCZCIQT1CYZ36L/IMG_4262.JPG Blog1 - 28. It's Time For Planting! We have a sign! https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57c2316e15d5db588d9e0465/1523981454648-4ZL31SRK1ZKU8QXY9N3Z/IMG_4388.JPG Blog1 - 28. It's Time For Planting! You can see, about a third of the holes have been dug. Need to dig about 4,000 more before the vines arrive! https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57c2316e15d5db588d9e0465/1523984854295-1KMV30NYAO08KLGNFBUN/NELC8731.JPG Blog1 - 28. It's Time For Planting! These two pictures are not altered at all. Each side is a different soil at Alta Marfa. They are only about 30 feet apart in the vineyard. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57c2316e15d5db588d9e0465/1523982366826-QSRV2Q56VLGY0RRQ0DZR/IMG_4347.JPG Blog1 - 28. It's Time For Planting! This was the first auger bit that we destroyed. The teeth fell out one by one until it would drill any more. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57c2316e15d5db588d9e0465/1523981689693-V1QFLFWOLE8UBBJL30JR/IMG_4368.JPG Blog1 - 28. It's Time For Planting! Then we got a new bit! https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57c2316e15d5db588d9e0465/1523981722438-78RMO4GIK6QZS0RAUG9B/IMG_4371.JPG Blog1 - 28. It's Time For Planting! And then this happened to it! Not Good! This was extremely discouraging. It's a bit designed for drilling in rocky soil. It only lasted about 1 day before it was rendered useless. We still have about 4,000 holes to make, so Im going to try using an excavator do dig the rest of them. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57c2316e15d5db588d9e0465/1523981863940-ULTUUA44MQ33UEAMEUH4/IMG_4128.JPG Blog1 - 28. It's Time For Planting! Here is the home made raptor deterrent vest we made for Lulu. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57c2316e15d5db588d9e0465/1523981908736-KUAC8GP5SZ7BPEBUQZKH/IMG_4214.JPG Blog1 - 28. It's Time For Planting! Found another antler up on the hill! https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57c2316e15d5db588d9e0465/1523982237796-PVH07UM2JB2VWMVHEJS4/IMG_4227.JPG Blog1 - 28. It's Time For Planting! A cool thing we found in the vineyard! Which apparently is called Devil's Claw. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57c2316e15d5db588d9e0465/1523982317848-UVLIOYZYDEK3681HPWTK/IMG_4323.JPG Blog1 - 28. It's Time For Planting! A very cool moth! https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57c2316e15d5db588d9e0465/1523982569713-QVPZCJ78L3161KP6MAYZ/IMG_4289.JPG Blog1 - 28. It's Time For Planting! The ditch before putting in all the PVC pipe. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57c2316e15d5db588d9e0465/1523982628111-GE23WK3NUPQFNTJOFCG7/IMG_4350.JPG Blog1 - 28. It's Time For Planting! The ditch with all the PVC installed! http://www.altamarfa.com/blog1/2018/3/14/27-we-have-water-in-the-desert monthly 0.5 2018-03-15 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57c2316e15d5db588d9e0465/1521087333911-FI8FUTVW5AN3O9L2N6DT/IMG_4076.JPG Blog1 - 27. We Have Water in the Desert! #Boss https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57c2316e15d5db588d9e0465/1521087380932-4M5M2RI6Z6QCJXUASM59/IMG_4083.JPG Blog1 - 27. We Have Water in the Desert! Like me, Lulu loves wine and loves to sleep. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57c2316e15d5db588d9e0465/1521087424910-KIKOXH25IQTY4WQJ516C/IMG_4105.JPG Blog1 - 27. We Have Water in the Desert! When I was a a little kid I used to love to take apart old computers. Back then, I never put any of them back together. Wiring this controller for the irrigation system was fun though :) https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57c2316e15d5db588d9e0465/1521087458226-YIUHZ8AN2P4W0JPRDPTT/IMG_4057.JPG Blog1 - 27. We Have Water in the Desert! I'm starting to understand why farms, etc. always have junk laying round everywhere, and this is in Houston, 500 miles from Alta Marfa. I guess farming is a state of mind. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57c2316e15d5db588d9e0465/1521087522438-80W1EDJTKRVV5MKKNGNN/IMG_4022.JPG Blog1 - 27. We Have Water in the Desert! Found this beauty up on top of the hill. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57c2316e15d5db588d9e0465/1521087583940-6LD84S6ZJC80D573JMZY/IMG_4074.JPG Blog1 - 27. We Have Water in the Desert! PVC playtime! Assembling parts for the irrigation system. http://www.altamarfa.com/blog1/2018/2/9/more-than-just-cabernet monthly 0.5 2018-03-15 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57c2316e15d5db588d9e0465/1518664259345-JZW6RBJPGSIB9S8DXMSY/IMG_3953.JPG Blog1 - 26. More than just Cabernet! After some practice, Chris was able to drill up to 90 holes per hour. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57c2316e15d5db588d9e0465/1518664368132-W4BKNM8T2UCZR5EEK01O/HZKF8560.JPG Blog1 - 26. More than just Cabernet! 1, 000 holes done, 5,039 left to go. The Bobcat will not be able to be used for the upper part of the vineyard because the terrain there is both too steep and too rocky. The holes may have to be pried open with a digging bar. Please let me know if anyone has any great ideas! https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57c2316e15d5db588d9e0465/1518664502821-Y0OGHD4P61E3C25S918I/IMG_3910.JPG Blog1 - 26. More than just Cabernet! These are the control valves that will send irrigation water to ten independent irrigation zones that cover different parts of the vineyard. The system will be completely solar powered and remote-controlable from a smart phone. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57c2316e15d5db588d9e0465/1518712067568-WI8DFQEBAXXJI7CXDYEB/Picture1.png Blog1 - 26. More than just Cabernet! https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57c2316e15d5db588d9e0465/1518664412270-VBQAQE70CV99OW760TWL/IMG_3943.JPG Blog1 - 26. More than just Cabernet! A pretty cactus growing right out of the rock! https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57c2316e15d5db588d9e0465/1518664460733-R80X3KBOKO6XWRQGQOV6/IMG_3938.JPG Blog1 - 26. More than just Cabernet! Another sunset... https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57c2316e15d5db588d9e0465/1518664330665-NHKWJEX7SKRRRDG308D6/IMG_3963.JPG Blog1 - 26. More than just Cabernet! The composting toilet is now composting! Come try it out! (don't worry there will be walls) http://www.altamarfa.com/blog1/2018/1/14/the-tent-and-the-fence-are-up monthly 0.5 2018-02-13 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57c2316e15d5db588d9e0465/1515960964309-Q6Z5DIIGAE6MD8MUT26T/IMG_3819.JPG Blog1 - 25. The Tent and the Fence are Up! The tent is finally up! Thanks to Promit and Tatanka for the help raising it! Now, hopefully, it doesn't blow away. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57c2316e15d5db588d9e0465/1515960917836-U6B6FJ474UKXYDFYZQK0/IMG_3775.JPG Blog1 - 25. The Tent and the Fence are Up! The fence is up too, and looks great! https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57c2316e15d5db588d9e0465/1515961120134-G0KNYN45I3CNINPTZITS/IMG_3772.JPG Blog1 - 25. The Tent and the Fence are Up! The new fence with Blue Mountain in the background. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57c2316e15d5db588d9e0465/1515960764272-8X2JZB6O82CP84E961HG/IMG_3813.JPG Blog1 - 25. The Tent and the Fence are Up! Promit spent Christmas with me working at Alta Marfa. He took some awesome pictures while we were there. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57c2316e15d5db588d9e0465/1515961036121-GO3TA7HMP3S2B6BIOXIO/IMG_3816.JPG Blog1 - 25. The Tent and the Fence are Up! Promit's quite the photographer. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57c2316e15d5db588d9e0465/1515961169067-P4BRV7FCFAIDLH2HP3CY/IMG_3814.JPG Blog1 - 25. The Tent and the Fence are Up! This was one of the best sunsets I have ever seen. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57c2316e15d5db588d9e0465/1515961234064-DR7DSZDL94YUGWXTUDYA/IMG_3890.JPG Blog1 - 25. The Tent and the Fence are Up! Katie joined us for a few days as well and helped out a lot. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57c2316e15d5db588d9e0465/1515960716519-ZXA5N1LP7JN4J4S415XQ/IMG_3820.JPG Blog1 - 25. The Tent and the Fence are Up! The moon and the tent platform before we put the tent up. http://www.altamarfa.com/blog1/2017/12/11/24-snow-at-alta-marfa monthly 0.5 2018-01-14 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57c2316e15d5db588d9e0465/1513044222051-HI9SMLRAEZ6RQNV1RXY4/IMG_3625.JPG Blog1 - 24. Snow at Alta Marfa! This ditch will hold a pipe carrying water from the well to the new water storage tank. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57c2316e15d5db588d9e0465/1513043735602-X5GPSFGKOBJR1UONSWP2/IMG_3753.JPG Blog1 - 24. Snow at Alta Marfa! The shiny new water tank! 28,000 gallons! https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57c2316e15d5db588d9e0465/1513044286938-GOOCP9P1BZHUETIIUGC2/IMG_3607.JPG Blog1 - 24. Snow at Alta Marfa! That's a long ditch! It will hold the main water line that all the drip lines will come out of. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57c2316e15d5db588d9e0465/1513044049928-AB22XBQDQ9STMSITF979/IMG_3731.JPG Blog1 - 24. Snow at Alta Marfa! Beards are good for the cold. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57c2316e15d5db588d9e0465/1513043664966-1XDTQSTLX9S994QN7L9G/IMG_3733.JPG Blog1 - 24. Snow at Alta Marfa! Snowy vineyard spot. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57c2316e15d5db588d9e0465/1513043694444-7W5GJUXMVJU7Y02S0BNU/IMG_3734.JPG Blog1 - 24. Snow at Alta Marfa! Yucca in the snow! https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57c2316e15d5db588d9e0465/1513044172089-YRG9PFRK0EIBM9OS6R6B/IMG_3728.JPG Blog1 - 24. Snow at Alta Marfa! Good thing I got this tank, otherwise there wouldn't have been any icicles! https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57c2316e15d5db588d9e0465/1513043776753-P4KC1CAC5M585J5ZLTFA/IMG_3727.JPG Blog1 - 24. Snow at Alta Marfa! A snowy ditch. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57c2316e15d5db588d9e0465/1513044127854-Y29ISHJMWY1YR4I0PUP3/IMG_3729.JPG Blog1 - 24. Snow at Alta Marfa! Real Snow! https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57c2316e15d5db588d9e0465/1513043946540-0WL28CFN5R7R3E2Z7Q2R/IMG_3742.JPG Blog1 - 24. Snow at Alta Marfa! Everything is starting to come together. Here is a preview of the porch... and the view from the porch. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57c2316e15d5db588d9e0465/1513043873205-J3DE6Z7F76RBYHGA7YGT/IMG_3745.JPG Blog1 - 24. Snow at Alta Marfa! All the snow made for one of the best sunsets I have ever seen! https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57c2316e15d5db588d9e0465/1513043808776-4NHZ0WVI34KJO7AATEWN/IMG_3752.JPG Blog1 - 24. Snow at Alta Marfa! Marfa is a tiny town in the middle of nowhere and the food looks like this... weird right? https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57c2316e15d5db588d9e0465/1513043845608-YGNVH5B8RO4WY1HCVMF5/IMG_3750.JPG Blog1 - 24. Snow at Alta Marfa! The fence construction is underway. Gotta keep the deer from eating all the grapes! http://www.altamarfa.com/blog1/2017/11/29/come-to-marfa-and-plant-grape-vines monthly 0.5 2018-01-14 http://www.altamarfa.com/blog1/2017/11/19/22-we-built-a-dance-floor-in-the-vineyard monthly 0.5 2018-01-14 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57c2316e15d5db588d9e0465/1511110536755-XALPQTZZIM38I117S4SE/IMG_3433.JPG Blog1 - 22. We built a Dance Floor in the Vineyard! It's actually level! Amazing! https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57c2316e15d5db588d9e0465/1511110977709-SD6G9S563249UM4ZHBR6/IMG_3443.JPG Blog1 - 22. We built a Dance Floor in the Vineyard! Building something on the side of a hill is . . . interesting https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57c2316e15d5db588d9e0465/1511110937444-39CJIO0K2FLXIQ0YCLI1/IMG_3447.JPG Blog1 - 22. We built a Dance Floor in the Vineyard! George placing the deck boards that will be the porch! https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57c2316e15d5db588d9e0465/1511110454562-NB71UHI6NL095XYDQ29Z/IMG_3446.JPG Blog1 - 22. We built a Dance Floor in the Vineyard! George in the shade https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57c2316e15d5db588d9e0465/1511111092209-GWGSDNYTCDVK083LKACV/20171111_110507.jpg Blog1 - 22. We built a Dance Floor in the Vineyard! It's holding me up! https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57c2316e15d5db588d9e0465/1511110791263-145OYFQLZSLK8W8SZ8IY/IMG_3456.JPG Blog1 - 22. We built a Dance Floor in the Vineyard! George and Eilis after we finished! https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57c2316e15d5db588d9e0465/1511110749128-WF5A8XY6Q3RSP7VJJ3OD/IMG_3458.JPG Blog1 - 22. We built a Dance Floor in the Vineyard! Had to christen the platform some wine. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57c2316e15d5db588d9e0465/1511110701027-3UEVL4MK6AV8LEKZX79T/20171111_163824.jpg Blog1 - 22. We built a Dance Floor in the Vineyard! The half built water tank! 28,000 gallons https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57c2316e15d5db588d9e0465/1511110497715-2133ZVEGRLTGHY0E6TUX/IMG_3430.JPG Blog1 - 22. We built a Dance Floor in the Vineyard! The water tank was made by kangaroos! https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57c2316e15d5db588d9e0465/1511110410035-CHISQ8Y5NFRTPYPCBZP9/IMG_3445.JPG Blog1 - 22. We built a Dance Floor in the Vineyard! Look at this cool fluffy plant! http://www.altamarfa.com/blog1/2017/11/1/21-platform-progress monthly 0.5 2018-01-14 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57c2316e15d5db588d9e0465/1509585126065-IF6F5YOAE9V2PYWJP47X/IMG_3359.JPG Blog1 - 21. Platform Progress This was the first of the 15 posts that will support the platform for the big tent. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57c2316e15d5db588d9e0465/1509585092616-2RTIUF0QS2LHD6NZN5EG/IMG_3383.JPG Blog1 - 21. Platform Progress This looks like some of the art in Marfa! That really tall post on the left still needs to be cut down to size. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57c2316e15d5db588d9e0465/1509585182602-AHMGY77FP4002AQ0DA0R/IMG_3370.JPG Blog1 - 21. Platform Progress Old vine skeleton at what was once Blue Mountain Vineyard. Planted in the 1970's, this was the first vineyard in the Texas Davis Mountains AVA. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57c2316e15d5db588d9e0465/1509585228470-A6ZZTI9TGPICR155LWVN/IMG_3390.JPG Blog1 - 21. Platform Progress Time Traveling... this was really cool to see. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57c2316e15d5db588d9e0465/1509585289801-ZROJHKCQRLSJIEWF4KWY/IMG_3356.JPG Blog1 - 21. Platform Progress I'm fairly sure this was a research vineyard planted by Sul Ross State University in Alpine. It's just at the south end of town and seems almost all dead except for some of the root stocks. http://www.altamarfa.com/blog1/2017/11/1/20-vine-visit monthly 0.5 2018-01-14 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57c2316e15d5db588d9e0465/1509583571094-IKDRO9NCHX0VGYS0G2HG/IMG_3344.JPG Blog1 - 20. Vine Visit My vine order takes up about 8 of these rows! https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57c2316e15d5db588d9e0465/1509582267047-MEOXD5NUXE7TDNND4KQX/IMG_3345.JPG Blog1 - 20. Vine Visit This row of my Cabernet Sauvignon vines is grafted onto 1103 Paulsen root stock. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57c2316e15d5db588d9e0465/1509584615029-MJ9DT8BL8XVQLA8OSYY4/IMG_3343.JPG Blog1 - 20. Vine Visit The leaves are just starting to change color for fall. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57c2316e15d5db588d9e0465/1509582162593-3WB4J5IP39NZ5XY2NJXC/IMG_3348.JPG Blog1 - 20. Vine Visit This little Cabernet vine is getting a little ahead of its self. http://www.altamarfa.com/blog1/2017/10/4/water-storage-and-also-human-storage monthly 0.5 2017-11-02 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57c2316e15d5db588d9e0465/1507247561600-D84MZ4FA70M76YOB1APP/IMG_3204.JPG Blog1 - 19. Water Storage! (and also Human Storage!) This picture is take looking down the hill from the spot where the water storage tank will be. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57c2316e15d5db588d9e0465/1507245434052-G3WYTWNFY6VN3QJITZEX/IMG_3179.JPG Blog1 - 19. Water Storage! (and also Human Storage!) The soil is soooo beautiful! The volcanic zeolite clay has excellent tilth and is organic rich due to the natural cycle of the high desert grasslands over thousands of years. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57c2316e15d5db588d9e0465/1507398633270-0CO2APLAJCHAWXA78PG7/20170929_152249.jpg Blog1 - 19. Water Storage! (and also Human Storage!) Lumber delivery for the tent platform! https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57c2316e15d5db588d9e0465/1507398695984-3W7GNY255ATMZND7HYXR/20170929_153144.jpg Blog1 - 19. Water Storage! (and also Human Storage!) Off-road forklift taking the wood up to the tent spot. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57c2316e15d5db588d9e0465/1507247350786-NXG6JJDEMV94KAHB8LO1/IMG_3196.JPG Blog1 - 19. Water Storage! (and also Human Storage!) This stuff is everywhere and smells amazing. It smells kinda like sage, and my be a type of sagebrush, although i haven't found any pictures that match this. If anyone has a clue, please let me know. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57c2316e15d5db588d9e0465/1507247275134-LNTB07UBXJ6YWYJYVG10/IMG_3191.JPG Blog1 - 19. Water Storage! (and also Human Storage!) These grow wild at the vineyard site. I have been told it is Buffalo Gourd, and that it is not for eating. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57c2316e15d5db588d9e0465/1507247128492-EKH74AK2U5TAUMHOLRM9/IMG_3185.JPG Blog1 - 19. Water Storage! (and also Human Storage!) A stick bug! https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57c2316e15d5db588d9e0465/1507245401592-22ELF9PZXSIT73BI3S77/IMG_3175.JPG Blog1 - 19. Water Storage! (and also Human Storage!) Weirdness in Fort Davis. I have no explanation for this... http://www.altamarfa.com/blog1/2017/9/19/holes monthly 0.5 2017-11-02 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57c2316e15d5db588d9e0465/1506195302843-UMN30KL0KJ0XSQ6R4CAO/IMG_3074.JPG Blog1 - 18. Holes... It works! Only 7,249 more to go... https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57c2316e15d5db588d9e0465/1506195393502-BDO135J183TYLMU76D58/IMG_3083.JPG Blog1 - 18. Holes... I thought about shifting up to rabbit speed, but I decided to stay at turtle speed. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57c2316e15d5db588d9e0465/1506195499374-DCEAXN4H6VNXJJYFKCIK/IMG_3086.JPG Blog1 - 18. Holes... Using this machine it looks like I will be able to drill rows of holes about 3.5' apart. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57c2316e15d5db588d9e0465/1506195594893-PP3FTV8JKOBE02C36X3P/IMG_3128.JPG Blog1 - 18. Holes... I took advantage of the auger to drill holes for the rest of the concrete footings that the tent platform will sit on. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57c2316e15d5db588d9e0465/1506195156177-DUXYVXQ5ERUD863WJBGH/IMG_3137.JPG Blog1 - 18. Holes... So Marfa... http://www.altamarfa.com/blog1/2017/7/27/i-have-officially-driven-a-tractor monthly 0.5 2017-11-02 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57c2316e15d5db588d9e0465/1501210371364-NPU62A9AD60O9L8JIFK9/image-asset.jpeg Blog1 - 17. I have officially driven a tractor... https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57c2316e15d5db588d9e0465/1501210406854-UABUVAB960WKJ1VB0XZV/image-asset.jpeg Blog1 - 17. I have officially driven a tractor... http://www.altamarfa.com/blog1/2017/7/7/sunrise-4000-above-the-ground monthly 0.5 2017-10-07 http://www.altamarfa.com/blog1/2017/5/29/alta-marfa-shirts monthly 0.5 2017-09-23 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57c2316e15d5db588d9e0465/1496119267819-BDD549CHLDASLZ9XM5Q4/image-asset.jpeg Blog1 - 15. Alta Marfa Shirts! The shirts are American Apparel Tri-blend, they are super soft and run on the smaller side.   https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57c2316e15d5db588d9e0465/1496119292702-7SNQXZ5SXV52IU81V1DC/image-asset.jpeg Blog1 - 15. Alta Marfa Shirts! http://www.altamarfa.com/blog1/2017/4/20/planting-announcement monthly 0.5 2017-09-23 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57c2316e15d5db588d9e0465/1493232895974-3I6PALYKNLERYCJC693L/image-asset.jpeg Blog1 - 14. Planting Announcement!!!! Come help plant vines, like these ones that I planted on my roof! http://www.altamarfa.com/blog1/2017/4/19/planting-announcement monthly 0.5 2017-09-23 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57c2316e15d5db588d9e0465/1492655412579-OVRBVI9MNG72MJVLNJK9/image-asset.jpeg Blog1 - 13. Biggest Party Yet! Naomi snapped this picture on a very windy day when we hiked to the top of the hill. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57c2316e15d5db588d9e0465/1492655456668-HHLLDS6YLP72GJE627NO/image-asset.jpeg Blog1 - 13. Biggest Party Yet! This is a Scarlet Beehive Cactus. . . Flowers in the Desert > Flowers other places http://www.altamarfa.com/blog1/2017/4/4/family-visit monthly 0.5 2017-09-20 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57c2316e15d5db588d9e0465/1491363879207-LT6IEWH6GFWNAT50B0GN/image-asset.jpeg Blog1 - 12. Family Visit! George next to the first finished footing hole. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57c2316e15d5db588d9e0465/1491362953575-FQSJLYWUHTVZB01CD0IM/image-asset.jpeg Blog1 - 12. Family Visit! Here is the first line of footings. 18 inch deep by 12 inch diameter concrete footings will support the posts for the tent platform. Digging these five holse was quite a bit of work because of how rocky the soil is. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57c2316e15d5db588d9e0465/1491363776706-S12I3Q75Q8DMCZEU1CIQ/image-asset.jpeg Blog1 - 12. Family Visit! Eilis built a path from where the vineyard will be up to where the tent will be. Little by little things are starting to transform. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57c2316e15d5db588d9e0465/1491362490558-NWE8X2UHSUIS7Y6PM5CZ/image-asset.jpeg Blog1 - 12. Family Visit! Mom using the brush cutter. (also check out that sky!) https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57c2316e15d5db588d9e0465/1491364139503-EKC1COJGTDUNTTBMJK6Z/image-asset.jpeg Blog1 - 12. Family Visit! Found a few of these little hedge hog cacti blooming on the property. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57c2316e15d5db588d9e0465/1491364409395-45N3PL9IN6FXY59R3MJF/image-asset.jpeg Blog1 - 12. Family Visit! The first wild flowers of the year are blooming at Alta Marfa. (photo credit to George) https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57c2316e15d5db588d9e0465/1491364236127-NSCTCPO3VB2MAT14OCDY/image-asset.jpeg Blog1 - 12. Family Visit! The Davis Mountains never disappoint. http://www.altamarfa.com/blog1/2017/2/28/not-your-average-everyday-tent monthly 0.5 2017-09-20 http://www.altamarfa.com/blog1/2017/2/21/weather-station monthly 0.5 2017-09-20 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57c2316e15d5db588d9e0465/1487731214905-5WOOX8OO1L65TDKDA6PI/IMG_1528.JPG.jpeg Blog1 - 10. Weather Station It works! . . . Well actually when we plugged it in it didn't work at first. We later found out that it needed a software update and its solar panel was unable to supply enough power due to the fact that it started SNOWING while we were trying to get it to work. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57c2316e15d5db588d9e0465/1487731428521-46MGXXZNDBMTKD8AYXSO/image-asset.jpeg Blog1 - 10. Weather Station Promit admiring his work. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57c2316e15d5db588d9e0465/1487719393692-SG1KUFUCY9XAN4M8AUJ6/temp+data.JPG Blog1 - 10. Weather Station Temperature is measuredand recorded every 15 minutes at three heights. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57c2316e15d5db588d9e0465/1487721297102-BR83WYK2CPZHTUZZY441/image-asset.jpeg Blog1 - 10. Weather Station During the night of January 29th (inside the dotted red circle) the temperature at ground level was up to 10 degrees colder than the temperature 11 feet off the ground. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57c2316e15d5db588d9e0465/1487731507458-OY7A00QK1BQ3D8URV81S/image-asset.jpeg Blog1 - 10. Weather Station Weather station parts! http://www.altamarfa.com/blog1/2017/2/5/weather-station-and-zeolite-clay monthly 0.5 2017-09-20 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57c2316e15d5db588d9e0465/1486337834325-8RDYMEL0J12GE3AC475F/image-asset.jpeg Blog1 - 9. A Very Gravelly Sandy Clay Loam David Jalali, soil scientist from the NRCS in Marfa, classifying soil color. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57c2316e15d5db588d9e0465/1486337775781-E31S35FG31GHXR0B4570/image-asset.jpeg Blog1 - 9. A Very Gravelly Sandy Clay Loam Will Juett, soil scientist from the NRCS in Marfa, digging through rocks. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57c2316e15d5db588d9e0465/1486337728383-7MXKSGOC2SV0OUVBPUF1/image-asset.jpeg Blog1 - 9. A Very Gravelly Sandy Clay Loam David Jalali, Will Juett and Lynn Loomis, soil scientists from the NRCS in Marfa, describing the soil at Alta Marfa. http://www.altamarfa.com/blog1/2017/1/26/drone-video monthly 0.5 2017-10-07 http://www.altamarfa.com/blog1/2016/12/20/time-to-start-working monthly 0.5 2017-09-23 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57c2316e15d5db588d9e0465/1506193468051-5JGOBWURG6YO645YK2QH/IMG_2893.JPG Blog1 - 7. Time to start Working! Blue Mountain, Texas Davis Mountains AVA http://www.altamarfa.com/blog1/2016/11/30/alta-marfa-has-a-home monthly 0.5 2017-10-04 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57c2316e15d5db588d9e0465/1480566481252-57UJTFI6SO7JQIQJES2P/image-asset.jpeg Blog1 - 6. Alta Marfa Has A Home! Dont' need this any more! http://www.altamarfa.com/blog1/2016/10/11/alta-marfa-2017 monthly 0.5 2017-09-23 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57c2316e15d5db588d9e0465/1506193668622-VKEUV5W1DUDR9GQR4S0Z/IMG_2957.JPG Blog1 - 5. Alta Marfa 2017 Texas Davis Mountains AVA http://www.altamarfa.com/blog1/2016/9/22/patience monthly 0.5 2017-10-04 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57c2316e15d5db588d9e0465/1474556713567-JX3UAJU6FNG5Q6TS70QJ/patience.png Blog1 - 4. Patience https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57c2316e15d5db588d9e0465/1474575741562-S56UTI1JS2VSU3M61JBU/image-asset.png Blog1 - 4. Patience https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57c2316e15d5db588d9e0465/1474556918575-AJU6K5UKT057TJHG4DLP/image-asset.jpeg Blog1 - 4. Patience https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57c2316e15d5db588d9e0465/1474556824197-AUNUZX9ROOLX5FQ0FXNC/image-asset.jpeg Blog1 - 4. Patience https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57c2316e15d5db588d9e0465/1474556868943-651VF7Q7R5OEGZA0B7Y9/image-asset.jpeg Blog1 - 4. Patience https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57c2316e15d5db588d9e0465/1474556889464-UB81TAPS6NNFC0YI7EVX/image-asset.jpeg Blog1 - 4. Patience This colorful work of art represents the 600 feet of rock directly below where the vineyard will be planted. A sample of rock cuttings is taken at 25 foot intervals as the drill penetrates deeper into the earth. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57c2316e15d5db588d9e0465/1474556798454-9ZCGFI0SQCTYAOJ1VSI6/image-asset.jpeg Blog1 - 4. Patience The rig, with Blue Mountain in the background. http://www.altamarfa.com/blog1/2016/9/4/water monthly 0.5 2017-09-20 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57c2316e15d5db588d9e0465/1473006548092-NQXA7SAYDA2PBB9T85BV/image-asset.jpeg Blog1 - 3. Water! Hopefully Para Smurf isn't the only one with fresh water... http://www.altamarfa.com/blog1/2016/8/29/accepted-fromzimbabwe monthly 0.5 2017-10-17 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57c2316e15d5db588d9e0465/1472485689390-I1R7CIBGYYN69JQZJF2I/image-asset.jpeg Blog1 - 2. Accepted from...Zimbabwe! The 25 acre property extends up over the top of the hill and down the other side. The elevation at the top of the hill is about 5,700 ft. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57c2316e15d5db588d9e0465/1472485571697-8ZO1T1I6QNFT397XTNXC/image-asset.jpeg Blog1 - 2. Accepted from...Zimbabwe! This picture is taken from about half way up the hill seen in the first picture. The tiny white dot at the bottom of the hill is my rental car. It is parked next to the For Sale sign seen in the first picture. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57c2316e15d5db588d9e0465/1472485862087-OVQNLNBBS1TABYM913OB/IMG_1113.JPG Blog1 - 2. Accepted from...Zimbabwe! A view from the top of the hill of neighboring Blue Mountain Trail Vineyard and Mexico in the distance. http://www.altamarfa.com/blog1/2016/8/28/now-its-real monthly 0.5 2017-10-17 http://www.altamarfa.com/blog1/category/vineyard monthly 0.5 http://www.altamarfa.com/blog1/category/marfa monthly 0.5 http://www.altamarfa.com/blog1/category/wine monthly 0.5 http://www.altamarfa.com/blog1/category/fashion monthly 0.5 http://www.altamarfa.com/blog1/tag/how+to+plant+a+vineyard monthly 0.5 http://www.altamarfa.com/blog1/tag/orgainic+wine monthly 0.5 http://www.altamarfa.com/blog1/tag/winemaker monthly 0.5 http://www.altamarfa.com/blog1/tag/davis+mountains monthly 0.5 http://www.altamarfa.com/blog1/tag/entrepreneurs monthly 0.5 http://www.altamarfa.com/blog1/tag/wall+tent monthly 0.5 http://www.altamarfa.com/blog1/tag/soil monthly 0.5 http://www.altamarfa.com/blog1/tag/texas monthly 0.5 http://www.altamarfa.com/blog1/tag/cabernet+sauvignon monthly 0.5 http://www.altamarfa.com/blog1/tag/Fort+Davis monthly 0.5 http://www.altamarfa.com/blog1/tag/agriculture monthly 0.5 http://www.altamarfa.com/blog1/tag/vineyard monthly 0.5 http://www.altamarfa.com/blog1/tag/vineyardwest+texas monthly 0.5 http://www.altamarfa.com/blog1/tag/Vineyard monthly 0.5 http://www.altamarfa.com/blog1/tag/texas+vineyard monthly 0.5 http://www.altamarfa.com/blog1/tag/planting+a+vineyard monthly 0.5 http://www.altamarfa.com/blog1/tag/diy monthly 0.5 http://www.altamarfa.com/blog1/tag/farming monthly 0.5 http://www.altamarfa.com/blog1/tag/property monthly 0.5 http://www.altamarfa.com/blog1/tag/farm monthly 0.5 http://www.altamarfa.com/blog1/tag/land monthly 0.5 http://www.altamarfa.com/blog1/tag/Davis+Mountains monthly 0.5 http://www.altamarfa.com/blog1/tag/sold monthly 0.5 http://www.altamarfa.com/blog1/tag/west+texas monthly 0.5 http://www.altamarfa.com/blog1/tag/dji monthly 0.5 http://www.altamarfa.com/blog1/tag/dji+drone monthly 0.5 http://www.altamarfa.com/blog1/tag/drone+video monthly 0.5 http://www.altamarfa.com/blog1/tag/soil+science monthly 0.5 http://www.altamarfa.com/blog1/tag/entrepreneur monthly 0.5 http://www.altamarfa.com/blog1/tag/drone monthly 0.5 http://www.altamarfa.com/blog1/tag/terroir monthly 0.5 http://www.altamarfa.com/blog1/tag/tank+top monthly 0.5 http://www.altamarfa.com/blog1/tag/natural+wine monthly 0.5 http://www.altamarfa.com/blog1/tag/shirt monthly 0.5 http://www.altamarfa.com/blog1/tag/marfa monthly 0.5 http://www.altamarfa.com/blog1/tag/tshirt monthly 0.5 http://www.altamarfa.com/blog1/tag/4k monthly 0.5 http://www.altamarfa.com/blog1/tag/texas+wine monthly 0.5 http://www.altamarfa.com/blog1/tag/wine+maker monthly 0.5 http://www.altamarfa.com/blog1/tag/sommelier monthly 0.5 http://www.altamarfa.com/blog1/tag/fort+davis monthly 0.5 http://www.altamarfa.com/blog1/tag/family monthly 0.5 http://www.altamarfa.com/blog1/tag/wine monthly 0.5 http://www.altamarfa.com/blog1/tag/texas+vienyard monthly 0.5 http://www.altamarfa.com/blog1/tag/fashion monthly 0.5 http://www.altamarfa.com/blog1/tag/grapes monthly 0.5 http://www.altamarfa.com/blog2 daily 0.75 2025-10-04 http://www.altamarfa.com/blog2/2025/10/4/47 monthly 0.5 2025-10-05 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57c2316e15d5db588d9e0465/fd4fbe52-16fb-4f41-a925-0e98a9efb00a/IMG_3164.jpg Blog2 - 47. Our 10th Year - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57c2316e15d5db588d9e0465/4db829be-9e7e-42e2-a021-c0f58c5eaea2/IMG_3215.jpg Blog2 - 47. Our 10th Year - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57c2316e15d5db588d9e0465/0d8ada9f-c906-4bc0-b8bf-3823d3085d05/IMG_0156.jpg Blog2 - 47. Our 10th Year - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57c2316e15d5db588d9e0465/4a358e7a-7b56-47f2-bf25-b8e791a71ca2/IMG_0157.jpg Blog2 - 47. Our 10th Year - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57c2316e15d5db588d9e0465/889cec94-6910-4937-b9d8-bbf50eb29764/IMG_5755.jpg Blog2 - 47. Our 10th Year - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57c2316e15d5db588d9e0465/a2c5b682-0450-4c33-9d83-fd986cd02cd8/IMG_0294.jpg Blog2 - 47. Our 10th Year - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57c2316e15d5db588d9e0465/5add741e-0a4b-430f-97c4-a2bb18500b23/IMG_0285.jpg Blog2 - 47. Our 10th Year - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57c2316e15d5db588d9e0465/1850cfc9-9fa1-4499-a2f6-25195cbb3178/IMG_2118.jpg Blog2 - 47. Our 10th Year - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57c2316e15d5db588d9e0465/ea445942-e444-4a76-b594-087d8cc441e9/IMG_8260.JPEG Blog2 - 47. Our 10th Year - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57c2316e15d5db588d9e0465/678508b8-80d3-445f-8d68-0addc8f776dc/IMG_0292.jpg Blog2 - 47. Our 10th Year - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57c2316e15d5db588d9e0465/97edeccf-8382-4ea0-9629-3aa3fa6c7862/25-Incognito1.jpg Blog2 - 47. Our 10th Year - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57c2316e15d5db588d9e0465/2e64e97c-d4ee-4a2e-b0bf-a6c92e6af725/IMG_0291.jpg Blog2 - 47. Our 10th Year - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. http://www.altamarfa.com/blog2/2025/2/21/46-we-are-on-the-brink monthly 0.5 2025-02-22 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57c2316e15d5db588d9e0465/17d69e6e-156b-47e0-8600-589a2bedd5cf/IMG_5354.JPEG Blog2 - 46. We are on the brink - Make it stand out it’s us http://www.altamarfa.com/blog2/2025/1/19/45-january-rest-remember-reinspire monthly 0.5 2025-01-26 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57c2316e15d5db588d9e0465/86d635e5-d2a2-4c9f-83e3-31689fb1ea4f/IMG_3235.jpg Blog2 - 45. January: Rest, remember, reinspire - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57c2316e15d5db588d9e0465/ea6c570c-4522-48e8-b82e-72e910a7b423/IMG_2732.jpg Blog2 - 45. January: Rest, remember, reinspire - Make it stand out Rinsing the oysters thoroughly is very important. They can have mud, seaweed, sand etc. on the outsides of the shells. By washing it off we can minimize the chance that any of that stuff ends up inside the oysters once we open them. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57c2316e15d5db588d9e0465/c30ce84a-3a44-4e3c-bac2-36696d2c827a/IMG_3234.jpg Blog2 - 45. January: Rest, remember, reinspire - Make it stand out They’re beautiful! and Delicious! https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57c2316e15d5db588d9e0465/82a059de-35c5-4e65-ae17-95e9ccf2c15b/IMG_2792.jpg Blog2 - 45. January: Rest, remember, reinspire - Make it stand out This is rhubarb. We grew it in our garden. It is one of the ingredients in a new amaro that we have in the works. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57c2316e15d5db588d9e0465/bccaad66-b02e-465d-8aba-533c06bffa5f/IMG_2836.jpg Blog2 - 45. January: Rest, remember, reinspire - Make it stand out Also included were lime leaves, bay leaves, fennel seed from our garden, and also hawthorn seeds and fruit that we foraged (with help from some friends) in the Davis Mountains. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57c2316e15d5db588d9e0465/f011e250-71bd-44bf-a043-76854a4b3a5c/IMG_2951.jpg Blog2 - 45. January: Rest, remember, reinspire - Make it stand out Once all the different botanicals have spent enough time steeping in a mixture of wine and brandy, we pump out the liquid and leave all the solids behind. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57c2316e15d5db588d9e0465/4e822e43-2bcf-4490-a476-982edb6e3ece/IMG_2950.jpg Blog2 - 45. January: Rest, remember, reinspire - Make it stand out We call this piece of epuipment the “snorkel”. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57c2316e15d5db588d9e0465/0f85fe6b-96b1-4dac-a375-5a61eadaa09a/IMG_2953.jpg Blog2 - 45. January: Rest, remember, reinspire - Make it stand out This mixture of slightly boozy fruits and sticks and leaves will make great compost. Look out for this new Amaro (Amaro 002) in 2025. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57c2316e15d5db588d9e0465/f44bcab4-a87a-4036-966b-19f153357b77/IMG_2818.jpg Blog2 - 45. January: Rest, remember, reinspire - Make it stand out We live in an arid climate. A recent project was to bore a hole into the ground to install a soil moisture sensor that will continuously send data to the cloud where I can look at it. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57c2316e15d5db588d9e0465/5f2453f1-8d5d-4150-844e-1d63f440da61/IMG_2819.jpg Blog2 - 45. January: Rest, remember, reinspire - Make it stand out This took about 30 minutes https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57c2316e15d5db588d9e0465/337b81ec-1576-4486-b95e-0d3157342bed/IMG_2822.jpg Blog2 - 45. January: Rest, remember, reinspire - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57c2316e15d5db588d9e0465/50b4bfa4-ce5b-46bc-ba01-087b43195044/IMG_2823.jpg Blog2 - 45. January: Rest, remember, reinspire - Make it stand out This sensor will measure the moisture levels at different depths in the soil profile, every 6 inches down to 40 inches deep. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57c2316e15d5db588d9e0465/afc5abe1-77ff-468b-816d-f3d7a07ea968/IMG_2858.jpg Blog2 - 45. January: Rest, remember, reinspire - Make it stand out Another soil related project. I am slowly spreading the giant pile of compost over the vineyard. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57c2316e15d5db588d9e0465/797184f0-7c9d-4d4a-818b-f30d5ca7f663/IMG_2859.jpg Blog2 - 45. January: Rest, remember, reinspire - Make it stand out The vines are young, so their roots haven’t spread out much yet. The most useful place for the compost at the moment is directly under the vines where the roots are. The compost adds organic matter to the soil, this increases the water holding capacity of the soil, improves the soil environment for microbes and also makes the heavy clay soil more hospitable for a diverse ground cover to establish itself. Soil microbes need roots in the soil to survive and thrive. Plants exude sugars (produced by photosynthesis) from their roots and exchange them with soil microbes for minerals and other compounds that the plants would not be able to uptake on their own. Our grape vines can do this too, but only if there is a healthy population of diverse microbes for them to exchange with. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57c2316e15d5db588d9e0465/d67d886a-e4db-4949-880a-3db52972dffd/IMG_2849.jpg Blog2 - 45. January: Rest, remember, reinspire - Make it stand out We are trying multiple different things in order to build a diverse population of soil microbes for our vines to live with. This is a picture of one of them. This is winter rye and crimson clover that we seeded under a vines row and then covered with compost. Both of these can germinate at relatively low temperatures, which is why they were chosen for winter. You can see brown grass directly adjacent to the rye and clover. You might ask, “why is rye and clover better than whatever that brown grass is?” Great question, and one I think about all the time. My thinking right now is that that dry brown grass, which is some sort or turf grass you might have in a lawn, is certainly better than bare dirt, but what we really want is as diverse as possible a mix of different species as part of our ground cover. Each species exchanges with slightly different microbes, so more diversity above ground means more diversity below ground. Also, the more species there are in the ground cover the more resilient the ground cover is as a whole, they exchange with each other through the microbes, making the whole unit stronger. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57c2316e15d5db588d9e0465/cde8b558-5150-4c32-aa6c-72df7cb36ada/IMG_2853.jpg Blog2 - 45. January: Rest, remember, reinspire - Make it stand out This is another experiment. Instead of removing the grass and seeding something else. Here we have removed the grass and left the ground bare. We have allowed space for wild seeds in the soil to germinate. We see some veery interesting things come up. I don’t know what species these are, but I like the look of them. Had we done this experiment in the summer, rather than winter, we would no doubt see a different set of species come up. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57c2316e15d5db588d9e0465/6a0221a1-ce96-40d7-9b74-e562f628961b/IMG_2856.jpg Blog2 - 45. January: Rest, remember, reinspire - Make it stand out Here is an update on the first experiment we did, which was removing the grass and seeding a set of 7-10 species during the summer. The cover is now well established and looking really healthy. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57c2316e15d5db588d9e0465/e6e92b4b-54e8-4fe0-a713-8c2d582cfd48/IMG_2884.jpg Blog2 - 45. January: Rest, remember, reinspire - Make it stand out Sparkling wine, it’s fun to drink and a real pain to make, especially when you do everything by hand as we do. We made two new sparkling wines in 2024 for your sipping pleasure! https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57c2316e15d5db588d9e0465/72daae5b-80bf-4ec5-9949-10fa8d2bc6a6/PA220362-2.jpg Blog2 - 45. January: Rest, remember, reinspire - Make it stand out Yeast are responsible for this fermentation that happens inside the bottle. When the yeast have eaten all of the available sugar they become dormant and eventually die. We store these fermenting bottles upside down, so when the yeast die, they settle to the bottom, or in this case the top of the upside-down bottles. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57c2316e15d5db588d9e0465/f96079ba-b8eb-4429-b382-ad7cf11e9cc6/b3lloqdy28dzp0x5ahfkb7o2a23u.jpg Blog2 - 45. January: Rest, remember, reinspire - Make it stand out We then open the bottles, and the trapped pressure causes the sediment to erupt out of the bottle. We then quickly top up and reseal the bottles, leaving a clear wine (mostly) without sediment. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57c2316e15d5db588d9e0465/e849b662-1cac-42fe-8abc-6f05643b240d/IMG_2886.jpg Blog2 - 45. January: Rest, remember, reinspire - Make it stand out We explode the bottles under this upturned bin in order to contain as much of the mess as possible. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57c2316e15d5db588d9e0465/a0ae6396-8316-4a33-87ec-bbefbe48e4a3/IMG_2889.jpg Blog2 - 45. January: Rest, remember, reinspire - Make it stand out It’s extremely messy. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57c2316e15d5db588d9e0465/b5455932-9966-430e-9e38-bc552eb993ed/IMG_2914.jpg Blog2 - 45. January: Rest, remember, reinspire - Make it stand out This is Lauren, Katie’s sister. She is the crucial third member of our team. Lauren has been with us now for 3 harvests and manages the front of house at our new bar. Before moving to Marfa, she was a professor of photography at Montana State University. When she’s not making wine or tending bar, you might find her driving a team of mules around town or developing film in her favorite dark room (the winery bathroom). We are so lucky to have her as part of our small but mighty team. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57c2316e15d5db588d9e0465/2d214b40-204e-480c-af0a-3b80d9d0b32d/IMG_2916.jpg Blog2 - 45. January: Rest, remember, reinspire - Make it stand out Here Katie is pulling a sample of a new wine from a puncheon. The process of making and then eventually selling wine is a strange combination of excitement, as we start to see glimpses of the new wines as they develop in their barrels, and the need for incredible patience as we know we will have to wait another year or maybe two before the wine makes its way into a bottle and onto a table to be consumed. http://www.altamarfa.com/blog2/2024/12/14/44-the-blog-is-back-2024-recap monthly 0.5 2024-12-22 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57c2316e15d5db588d9e0465/11cc5114-53a0-49f0-9866-c17cba3735de/IMG_1617.jpg Blog2 - 44. The Blog is Back, 2024 Recap - Make it stand out A fun way to start 2024. Strong winds ripped the roof off our chicken coop in the middle of the night. The chickens hardly seemed to notice. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57c2316e15d5db588d9e0465/82c3472e-fd06-47c0-9095-07686a68bd9e/chart.jpg Blog2 - 44. The Blog is Back, 2024 Recap - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57c2316e15d5db588d9e0465/fef850f5-3a19-4fcf-a4df-30719b7128df/IMG_1732.jpg Blog2 - 44. The Blog is Back, 2024 Recap - Make it stand out We removed a drop ceiling to open up the space and bring in more light. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57c2316e15d5db588d9e0465/5f4a280c-1b24-4502-831b-f84975d54cbe/IMG_0734.JPEG Blog2 - 44. The Blog is Back, 2024 Recap - Make it stand out New light fixtures in, the bar is starting to take shape. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57c2316e15d5db588d9e0465/cd8fb863-d40c-41cf-b429-23d5b02ce006/IMG_2353.jpg Blog2 - 44. The Blog is Back, 2024 Recap - Make it stand out A curved bar is not the simplest thing we could have chosen. The steel structure supporting the bar top needed to be level, strong enough to support anything that might ever be put on it and also, rigid enough so that the bar wouldn’t flex when people lean on it. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57c2316e15d5db588d9e0465/65cebf3a-2403-44a4-962e-450e84cc084e/IMG_2358+%281%29.jpg Blog2 - 44. The Blog is Back, 2024 Recap - Make it stand out Joey Benton, designer and builder of Silla in Marfa, not only came up with the design for the structure of the bar, but also supplied the pipe and let us use his workshop to mill our lumber. He also lent us two of his expert craftsmen. Gabe did all of the beautiful welding, and Daniel who did the complicated woodworking required to fit the curved bar top pieces together. A huge thank you to all three of them. We simply would not have been able to open without their help. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57c2316e15d5db588d9e0465/d1f80141-159e-4854-8486-80696df79363/IMG_2355.jpg Blog2 - 44. The Blog is Back, 2024 Recap - Make it stand out Grinding away https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57c2316e15d5db588d9e0465/0c5e66f1-6c76-4f67-b21d-175317f70126/IMG_1702.jpg Blog2 - 44. The Blog is Back, 2024 Recap - Make it stand out Each section of the bar is made up of several long boards glued together. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57c2316e15d5db588d9e0465/efa671d7-c3b9-46c5-a685-1171828c7ca2/IMG_1829+%281%29.jpg Blog2 - 44. The Blog is Back, 2024 Recap - Make it stand out We built the back bar and the top shelf which the wine glasses hang from with the same red oak as the bar top. Because space is so tight in our little bar, we bolted each shelf all the way through the concrete block wall. This way no leg supports would be required, giving us more room. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57c2316e15d5db588d9e0465/2c05e2f5-22c0-42bf-8ddc-ae5b9710578a/IMG_1913.jpg Blog2 - 44. The Blog is Back, 2024 Recap - Make it stand out Deedee is a dog about town who has since moved to Estonia. Also notice the detail of the bar, over 100 pieces of repurposed oilfield pipe. Each one individually cut by me. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57c2316e15d5db588d9e0465/3382f02d-abff-414a-ac26-6f53f623ac3b/IMG_2016+%281%29.jpeg Blog2 - 44. The Blog is Back, 2024 Recap - Make it stand out Opening day was March 1st. we share our small restaurant space with our wonderful and talented friend, Emily Kolb, who runs her own coffee shop (Mutual Friends Coffee) in the morning hours. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57c2316e15d5db588d9e0465/3396694d-3dd9-4573-9cfa-36b409c107d0/IMG_1870.jpg Blog2 - 44. The Blog is Back, 2024 Recap - Make it stand out A good time being had by all! https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57c2316e15d5db588d9e0465/35356bdc-84f9-4a0d-8d2e-4d2cff893bfe/IMG_2341.jpg Blog2 - 44. The Blog is Back, 2024 Recap - Make it stand out These grapes are gewurztraminer. This was a new wine for us in 2024. Expect to see this wine sometime in 2025. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57c2316e15d5db588d9e0465/3ce3b0ae-cfdd-4829-aa9c-eb06910b091b/IMG_2328.jpg Blog2 - 44. The Blog is Back, 2024 Recap - Make it stand out Grapes https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57c2316e15d5db588d9e0465/fad961a5-6c79-4534-a156-1056c5dde1ee/IMG_1849+%281%29.jpg Blog2 - 44. The Blog is Back, 2024 Recap - Make it stand out The vines at our home vineyard all start as sticks like these. We root them in a box like this early in the year and as soon as the danger of frost has passed, we transplant them out into the vineyard. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57c2316e15d5db588d9e0465/9b377307-5d16-4ff6-950f-bc67387e4dc5/IMG_2051.jpg Blog2 - 44. The Blog is Back, 2024 Recap - Make it stand out Here is one of the first group of vines. Planted in 2021, this group is starting to reach an age when the vines are capable of bearing fruit. You can see this vine has set a few clusters. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57c2316e15d5db588d9e0465/c5772b25-24b9-46a7-8969-b499b0bef18a/IMG_2233.jpg Blog2 - 44. The Blog is Back, 2024 Recap - Make it stand out It’s really starting to look like a vineyard! https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57c2316e15d5db588d9e0465/cc30239d-6b1f-460f-8b71-ecf03d0914e8/IMG_2234.jpg Blog2 - 44. The Blog is Back, 2024 Recap - Make it stand out These two rows were the first vines planted in 2021. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57c2316e15d5db588d9e0465/b8576364-0b4c-427f-9980-c90fc69a1d86/IMG_2428.jpg Blog2 - 44. The Blog is Back, 2024 Recap - Make it stand out A particularly happy vine. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57c2316e15d5db588d9e0465/647cddb1-a645-4259-a855-52849c5aa981/IMG_2358.jpg Blog2 - 44. The Blog is Back, 2024 Recap - Make it stand out One of the things we spend the most time on in our own vineyard is building healthier soil. We want to feed the soil microbes so that those microbes can feed our vines. Roots in soil are what feed microbes, so here we are trying to reestablish the native ground cover. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57c2316e15d5db588d9e0465/8b9223b6-df18-438c-9efb-f716a2e47035/IMG_2058.jpg Blog2 - 44. The Blog is Back, 2024 Recap - Make it stand out The site of the Mountain Shadows vineyard before breaking ground. This spot is about 0.25 miles from our own home vineyard. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57c2316e15d5db588d9e0465/082bd830-7e3b-46b7-8a11-f3e4675db0ae/IMG_2059.jpg Blog2 - 44. The Blog is Back, 2024 Recap - Make it stand out We installed this cool weather station at the Mountain Shadows vineyard. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57c2316e15d5db588d9e0465/3f5c5fbe-34c3-4dc9-b7fe-77be55432b72/IMG_2675.jpg Blog2 - 44. The Blog is Back, 2024 Recap - Make it stand out Newest team member: Butter Bean https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57c2316e15d5db588d9e0465/d41e3989-bb04-408a-8d21-b55956688289/IMG_2614.jpg Blog2 - 44. The Blog is Back, 2024 Recap - Make it stand out Look at these giant clay jars. In the wine world we call one of these an amphora. We are aging wine in these now. So, get ready to try some clay jar wine. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57c2316e15d5db588d9e0465/87f4ff6e-9df3-4a6e-87dc-b3f0fad375b5/IMG_2106.jpg Blog2 - 44. The Blog is Back, 2024 Recap - Make it stand out Our blind cat Jonathan turned two years old during harvest this year. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57c2316e15d5db588d9e0465/786e1160-421c-41d4-94a8-ccc0a6783bcd/IMG_1964.jpg Blog2 - 44. The Blog is Back, 2024 Recap - Make it stand out If Alta Marfa was an agave, we would be like this one, just getting started. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57c2316e15d5db588d9e0465/0b6f2ea2-d91d-4cba-93e3-6224dbfc3cfb/IMG_1640.jpg Blog2 - 44. The Blog is Back, 2024 Recap - Make it stand out a rollercoaster of a year https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57c2316e15d5db588d9e0465/aa6899e2-62cb-4d37-8818-2b7ba1617887/IMG_2694.jpg Blog2 - 44. The Blog is Back, 2024 Recap - Make it stand out These are the fruit of the hawthorn tree. We harvested these in the Davis Mountains this November and are using the fruit and the leaves in a new Amaro. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57c2316e15d5db588d9e0465/b7bdb268-9322-4446-9b19-03ccf499a714/IMG_2702.jpg Blog2 - 44. The Blog is Back, 2024 Recap - Make it stand out Steeping the fruit and leaves in some fortified wine, along with some rhubarb and fennel seed grown by us. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57c2316e15d5db588d9e0465/523338cd-0303-44ab-a092-c1c44d547a08/IMG_1940+%281%29.jpg Blog2 - 44. The Blog is Back, 2024 Recap - Make it stand out It’s a cool place. Come visit us and see for yourself. http://www.altamarfa.com/blog2/2021/12/6/43-first-harvest-as-a-full-time-wine-maker monthly 0.5 2022-01-17 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57c2316e15d5db588d9e0465/50ae8c68-ace2-4f2b-bd63-6067d98ecc0b/SZNM2301.JPG Blog2 - 43. First Harvest as a Full Time Wine Maker - Make it stand out I find it very encouraging to look backward, though I don’t always remember to. One year ago I was very unsure of the future of Alta Marfa. After two years of searching, we still had no place to make our wine. We had so far been unsuccessful at finding a source of funding, and we were running out of time. I have a few pages in my notebook from January 2021 which contain thoughts like “which things to sell first”, “where should we live?” and “can I get my old job back?” I spent a lot of time that January feeling like the project I had been working on for the last five years would likely come to an end. Now, a year later we have our own winery and we obtained loans that allowed us to make 17,000+ bottles of wine in 2021. We took big steps in 2021, and 2022 will be just as challenging. The following is a look back at the 2021 harvest season. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57c2316e15d5db588d9e0465/6766f552-2516-4504-9878-419b5ab6b77f/IMG_0832.jpg Blog2 - 43. First Harvest as a Full Time Wine Maker - Make it stand out This tank full of Tempranillo, from Robert Clay Vineyards, was the first fermentation of the 2021 harvest season. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57c2316e15d5db588d9e0465/b930112a-0ba7-4a03-8f95-fd8a7fbbd136/IMG_0919.jpg Blog2 - 43. First Harvest as a Full Time Wine Maker - Make it stand out Paulina, Edward and Stephen bailed me out. I met them in Sonora. They drove from Houston and London respectively to help me pick grapes at High Cross Vineyard. We left the Motel 6 where we were staying at 2am in order to have time to finish our harvest and drive the fruit to the winery before the sun came up when it would be too hot to pick or transport the grapes. We picked Tempranillo until about 9 am, then called it. We picked almost two tons of grapes that night. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57c2316e15d5db588d9e0465/2a81e184-d59e-413b-bd54-e5fe597e96ef/IMG_0922.jpg Blog2 - 43. First Harvest as a Full Time Wine Maker - Make it stand out After picking, Paulina fell asleep before we made it out of the driveway. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57c2316e15d5db588d9e0465/6e1098ca-1ea6-43aa-9446-ecc7390395fa/IMG_0928.jpg Blog2 - 43. First Harvest as a Full Time Wine Maker - Make it stand out The High Cross Tempranillo joining the Robert Clay Tempranillo in the winery. Our new winery in Marfa was not complete in time for harvest, so we made our 2021 wines at Slate Mill Wine Collective in Fredericksburg. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57c2316e15d5db588d9e0465/bf705882-0b5d-448d-bedf-7c5399cb88fa/FOGJ6202.JPG Blog2 - 43. First Harvest as a Full Time Wine Maker - Make it stand out Alta Marfa’s 2021 harvest consisted of 22 tons of grapes from 7 vineyards in Texas and one in New Mexico. There is no way that I could have processed all 22 tons of grapes, driven all 9,000 miles, and hand-picked grapes without help. Tyler Wolz (pictured), David Newitt, James Gross and Wyatt Eubanks work at Slate Mill Wine Collective and were absolutely crucial to my success this year. They cleaned tanks and bins, forklifted, loaded the press, steamed barrels, unloaded the press, and filled barrels with me this year. A huge thank you to all four of them. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57c2316e15d5db588d9e0465/fa10d91e-26bf-40f4-9c97-50d956326078/IMG_1011.jpg Blog2 - 43. First Harvest as a Full Time Wine Maker - Make it stand out I caught this beautiful sunset just as I arrived with my trailer full of empty bins at Robert Clay Vineyards. We picked Touriga Nacional later that night. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57c2316e15d5db588d9e0465/ab01cd29-aa7f-434b-a22b-b49623ae17ba/IMG_1013.jpg Blog2 - 43. First Harvest as a Full Time Wine Maker - Make it stand out Cooper, of The Austin Winery, who also buys grapes from Robert Clay Vineyards, deciding which row to pick first. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57c2316e15d5db588d9e0465/ecdcc1ba-17cf-47ec-a475-5081bb301276/IMG_1016.jpg Blog2 - 43. First Harvest as a Full Time Wine Maker - Make it stand out A beautiful cluster of Touriga Nacional on the vine at Robert Clay. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57c2316e15d5db588d9e0465/ef985577-a12d-4a2c-8b50-1caa7fc6d22a/IMG_0826.jpg Blog2 - 43. First Harvest as a Full Time Wine Maker - Make it stand out We found this pretty spider in a bin of Tempranillo! https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57c2316e15d5db588d9e0465/b11c543d-23ef-417e-aa2a-51fc46ae979c/BPZH8811.JPG Blog2 - 43. First Harvest as a Full Time Wine Maker - Make it stand out Dan McLaughlin, of Robert Clay Vineyards, and I picking Merlot. Dan continues to be a great mentor and friend. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57c2316e15d5db588d9e0465/cd087f88-e5cc-4a3b-ad63-e1516dccb377/HFUR5438.JPG Blog2 - 43. First Harvest as a Full Time Wine Maker - Make it stand out This is right at the end of my 12-hour journey hauling grapes from New Mexico to the winery in the Hill Country. That’s two tons of Big Lunch in the egg, with one ton of Wee Chef on the left and one of Oui Chef on the right. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57c2316e15d5db588d9e0465/059df4ef-a65d-484e-8735-ee3d2175f083/IMG_1087.jpg Blog2 - 43. First Harvest as a Full Time Wine Maker - Make it stand out A new wine from Forbidden Desert Vineyard in New Mexico this year. This is half Pinot Noir and Half Chardonnay. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57c2316e15d5db588d9e0465/cd0d3a2e-6bb1-49d5-8b90-5a4489fe30dc/IMG_6213.JPEG Blog2 - 43. First Harvest as a Full Time Wine Maker - Make it stand out Grapes https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57c2316e15d5db588d9e0465/a5bee6d6-ca53-478f-9a4e-e57c14ac5aa0/IMG_1090.jpg Blog2 - 43. First Harvest as a Full Time Wine Maker - Make it stand out Eggs full of grapes! https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57c2316e15d5db588d9e0465/d94f9096-42d2-4682-ac3c-840b69c481d9/IMG_1606.jpg Blog2 - 43. First Harvest as a Full Time Wine Maker - Make it stand out This big stack is all 2021 Alta Marfa wines! https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57c2316e15d5db588d9e0465/5764b2fa-070d-4201-a0f2-ef6d8afdb6e7/IMG_1212.jpg Blog2 - 43. First Harvest as a Full Time Wine Maker - Make it stand out What do you see in this picture? https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57c2316e15d5db588d9e0465/acfae054-3275-4f63-aab1-d13b3345bf95/IMG_1214.jpg Blog2 - 43. First Harvest as a Full Time Wine Maker - Make it stand out How about now? Anything? https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57c2316e15d5db588d9e0465/5af881cb-bdf2-4ece-91fc-70b4b9f07cf4/IMG_1213.jpg Blog2 - 43. First Harvest as a Full Time Wine Maker - Make it stand out Wild grape vines! vitis arizonica to be exact. This is a grape species native to the southwestern United States and northern Mexico. I plan to return to this vine growing by the roadside in the Davis Mountains and take some cuttings. My plan is to propagate them and observe them, maybe their fruit will make an interesting wine someday. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57c2316e15d5db588d9e0465/f41763d5-5be3-451e-bee0-4944a02fef92/IMG_1459.jpg Blog2 - 43. First Harvest as a Full Time Wine Maker - Make it stand out The winery is done! We have received the keys! https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57c2316e15d5db588d9e0465/98eed3cf-cb9a-40b9-bc01-41e2778f3ddc/IMG_1485.jpg Blog2 - 43. First Harvest as a Full Time Wine Maker - Make it stand out We aren’t quite moved in yet, but we have wine! So come visit use in Marfa! https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57c2316e15d5db588d9e0465/31deca28-c05f-475f-9a2c-107d829bcf56/IMG_1217.JPG Blog2 - 43. First Harvest as a Full Time Wine Maker - Make it stand out We have just released a new wine: Sobrino. The Story of this wine comes in two parts: 1) What’s inside the bottle: This is a traditional method sparkling wine (think champagne) but is very non-traditional in a few ways as well. This wine is 100% Tempranillo, which you may be familiar with in the form of a big tannic red wine, probably from Spain, that you might drink while eating a steak. Sobrino however, could not be further from that version of Tempranillo. Every decision I made when making this wine was made with the goal of making the final form as refreshing, light, juicy and energetic as possible. This wine is designed to make it very very unlikely that you’ll be able to have just one sip, or even one glass. Click HERE to read a full rundown of how this wine was made. 2) What’s on the outside of the bottle: Sobrino means ‘nephew’ in Spanish. Last December Katie and I welcomed our first nephew when my brother, George, and his wife, Eilis, had their first child. This wine was named and the label designed in Baby George’s honor. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57c2316e15d5db588d9e0465/327644b1-a018-457f-aab5-c572435f3809/IMG_1942.jpg Blog2 - 43. First Harvest as a Full Time Wine Maker - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57c2316e15d5db588d9e0465/e61fa004-a0d1-446e-99d5-9b30e95395ed/IMG_2221.jpg Blog2 - 43. First Harvest as a Full Time Wine Maker - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57c2316e15d5db588d9e0465/95c240a0-dc36-4c04-bc61-66403af6fa37/IMG_2225.jpg Blog2 - 43. First Harvest as a Full Time Wine Maker - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57c2316e15d5db588d9e0465/d1b19962-0f4e-48bd-91bb-3631d582260f/IMG_2227.jpg Blog2 - 43. First Harvest as a Full Time Wine Maker - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57c2316e15d5db588d9e0465/796df8d8-66ed-49b1-a201-6a33eeebbda0/IMG_2229.jpg Blog2 - 43. First Harvest as a Full Time Wine Maker - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57c2316e15d5db588d9e0465/fbc92e66-39b1-414c-9dc9-6d5454760ccb/IMG_2232.jpg Blog2 - 43. First Harvest as a Full Time Wine Maker - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57c2316e15d5db588d9e0465/9eb439e6-0583-4ef3-9268-230002d37275/IMG_E1253.JPG Blog2 - 43. First Harvest as a Full Time Wine Maker - Make it stand out We took a train from New York City, up the Hudson River to the town of Hudson for the Peripheral Wine Festival. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57c2316e15d5db588d9e0465/c40a7571-e56e-41f9-91d7-5bb7006eca78/FHGI9790.JPG Blog2 - 43. First Harvest as a Full Time Wine Maker - Make it stand out The Wild World Festival took place a few days later in the Red Hook neighborhood of Brooklyn. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57c2316e15d5db588d9e0465/df5b690b-9df6-4d98-a0ab-7af6e62c2743/IMG_1326.jpg Blog2 - 43. First Harvest as a Full Time Wine Maker - Make it stand out As is tradition, I will finish off this post with a sunset. This picture is taken in the fledgling Grand Prix Vineyard. http://www.altamarfa.com/blog2/2021/9/9/42-2021-a-wine-odyssey monthly 0.5 2021-09-18 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57c2316e15d5db588d9e0465/1631849647921-T5GJAMPQN5VCW3KOLVDG/red+grapes.PNG Blog2 - 42. 2021 A Wine Odyssey - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57c2316e15d5db588d9e0465/1631218279234-7ZAQNJQVPRSPIBNOWGWD/IMG_0120.jpg Blog2 - 42. 2021 A Wine Odyssey - Make it stand out The cuttings that I rooted indoors over the winter are alive! https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57c2316e15d5db588d9e0465/1631212119297-AMH87PL8KZXDQBBQRG1L/CBCY7872.JPG Blog2 - 42. 2021 A Wine Odyssey - Make it stand out This is my friend Trevor. Trevor was very nice to come out and help me plant this year. Trevor and I were the only two planters. Look at those roots! Another difference from previous plantings is that this year we transplanted green vines, rather than planting bare-rooted dormant vines. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57c2316e15d5db588d9e0465/1631218235914-JFUP4Z2CUQV1U8Y0DGSR/IMG_0089.jpg Blog2 - 42. 2021 A Wine Odyssey - Make it stand out This is biochar. Biochar is burned biomass which can be added to soil for the purpose of adding stable organic matter. We received this biochar as a gift from Trevor. Thanks Trevor! https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57c2316e15d5db588d9e0465/1631218112347-083AOHTB6F9ZKZLBNWK4/IMG_0087.jpg Blog2 - 42. 2021 A Wine Odyssey - Make it stand out I mixed biochar, old horse manure and water together in a pile and then let it composted for about a month. We filled our planting holes with this mixture plus a mycorrhizal fungi inoculant. Our soil is so rocky that it has been very challenging to keep the soil immediately surrounding the roots of newly planted vines. Filing our planting holes with this carbon-rich mixture should help keep considerably more moisture in the root zone and supply nutrients to the baby vines. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57c2316e15d5db588d9e0465/1631218356651-L35JM4JVI0GLMBU3BZZN/IMG_0122.jpg Blog2 - 42. 2021 A Wine Odyssey - Make it stand out A vine literally being planted in between a rock and a hard place. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57c2316e15d5db588d9e0465/1631218771181-EQEMU4SEJ3KJNFOXBT4V/IMG_0596.jpg Blog2 - 42. 2021 A Wine Odyssey - Make it stand out I used a piece of twine to train the new vines to grow up the posts. We have switched to metal posts because the wooden ones did not prove to be durable enough to withstand our tough environment. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57c2316e15d5db588d9e0465/1631850855116-TXC2YXFX4SEQIRS2YXRH/IMG-1238.jpg Blog2 - 42. 2021 A Wine Odyssey - Make it stand out This particular Tinta Francisca vine is particularly vigorous. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57c2316e15d5db588d9e0465/1631850638130-KQ14R75WJJEQF7TRF51S/IMG-1237.jpg Blog2 - 42. 2021 A Wine Odyssey - Make it stand out The vines look so healthy in this new planting scheme. They are already as big as the vines that remain from the 2018 planting. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57c2316e15d5db588d9e0465/1631218052864-I6OU2YZEM4RBR3ZF9EPG/GLJP0757.jpg Blog2 - 42. 2021 A Wine Odyssey - Make it stand out This is the only surviving patch of vines from the original planting in 2018. I have placed a bed of wood chip mulch around each vine to help retain moisture and prevent native plants from growing too close to the vines. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57c2316e15d5db588d9e0465/1631224583200-MD4WE5O79NH81N66GRRT/IMG_0562.jpg Blog2 - 42. 2021 A Wine Odyssey - Make it stand out This is the beginning of the new vineyard, about 5 miles as the crow flies from the original vineyard. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57c2316e15d5db588d9e0465/1631224550972-OWCWAWV9OUME1CJVBP1R/IMG_0551.jpg Blog2 - 42. 2021 A Wine Odyssey - Make it stand out Lulu inspecting the vines in the new vineyard. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57c2316e15d5db588d9e0465/1631852498555-5BIY8P5OYK59YIUH3TFV/WHite+Grapes.PNG Blog2 - 42. 2021 A Wine Odyssey - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57c2316e15d5db588d9e0465/1631219382529-T5SQCRN1ORV47V33XHLS/IMG_E0258.JPG Blog2 - 42. 2021 A Wine Odyssey - Make it stand out Big thanks to Edward and Paulina for helping me bottle these. About 150 cases or 1,800 bottles in total. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57c2316e15d5db588d9e0465/1631728807093-Y70YITM4IPHZMU9QK1XM/BigLunch-Rectangular-Color.jpg Blog2 - 42. 2021 A Wine Odyssey - Make it stand out Big Lunch Poster. These are numbered 1 through 12 and signed. The color is screen printed and all of the line work is drawn by hand so each piece is unique. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57c2316e15d5db588d9e0465/1631728854430-VXYQT3BAB2OGCOEI2ZGN/OuiChef-Rectangular-Color.jpg Blog2 - 42. 2021 A Wine Odyssey - Make it stand out Oui Chef poster https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57c2316e15d5db588d9e0465/1631728911740-PVRJ8247PRS9F4QGKBH2/WeeChef-Rectangular-Color.jpg Blog2 - 42. 2021 A Wine Odyssey - Make it stand out Wee Chef poster https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57c2316e15d5db588d9e0465/1631222242849-WT48LOZ6LAOAFL7AA6C0/IMG_0674.jpg Blog2 - 42. 2021 A Wine Odyssey - Make it stand out Evan dressed up as a sad Texas wine clown and poured a giant bottle of champagne for everyone at the end of our release party at Montrose Cheese and Wine. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57c2316e15d5db588d9e0465/1631222521641-XGL71CILL2LVW3EUPUDM/IMG_0684.jpg Blog2 - 42. 2021 A Wine Odyssey - Make it stand out Pam and Evan. Evan learned how to make balloon animals specifically for this party. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57c2316e15d5db588d9e0465/1631222608699-EC352ZLT7Y9DF0KS2VKQ/IMG_0685.JPG Blog2 - 42. 2021 A Wine Odyssey - Make it stand out Thanks Pam for taking this goofy picture of me and the biggest, hugest thanks to Lauren Hunter Lee for making this whole party happen for us. It was such a great experience and I had a blast. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57c2316e15d5db588d9e0465/1631220041197-KBKXQFFWDDSLWIKN9VRI/IMG_1861.jpg Blog2 - 42. 2021 A Wine Odyssey - Make it stand out The foundation of the new winery. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57c2316e15d5db588d9e0465/1631219862338-3CLLQZOUSHRDOUQC9W6M/IMG_0741.jpg Blog2 - 42. 2021 A Wine Odyssey - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57c2316e15d5db588d9e0465/1631219995549-H40FFVZKBDO3A7WCBAH3/IMG_1304.jpg Blog2 - 42. 2021 A Wine Odyssey - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57c2316e15d5db588d9e0465/1631908391143-ZRPXDGHPZTZH3BL0U7SD/IMG-1236.jpg Blog2 - 42. 2021 A Wine Odyssey - Make it stand out The walls, roof, the smaller doors and the air conditioning and insulation are all in! https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57c2316e15d5db588d9e0465/1631220914206-15IK22V9WXDPL8CWMOCH/IMG_0852.jpg Blog2 - 42. 2021 A Wine Odyssey - Make it stand out AZ, Ross and Cooper from the Austin Winery graciously helped me bottle 65 cases of sparkling wine just at the beginning of the harvest season. I’m very excited about this wine. It might be ready to sell before the end of the year . . . https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57c2316e15d5db588d9e0465/1631221680809-I0QETKJM60EVVEO7R53U/IMG_0083.jpg Blog2 - 42. 2021 A Wine Odyssey - Make it stand out The start of our garden this spring. Now that we are living in West Texas full time, things like this are possible. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57c2316e15d5db588d9e0465/1631221720135-W53BYS47NT4AU9K2WSEK/IMG_0247.jpg Blog2 - 42. 2021 A Wine Odyssey - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57c2316e15d5db588d9e0465/1631221811577-ZOC0ILD7OCQ194C01X25/IMG_0349.jpg Blog2 - 42. 2021 A Wine Odyssey - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57c2316e15d5db588d9e0465/1631222016669-ZWF5KXDS3M46XIQXLAZ6/IMG_0946.jpg Blog2 - 42. 2021 A Wine Odyssey - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57c2316e15d5db588d9e0465/1631221763144-F94UZW3FHE1J24UVS7LU/IMG_0348.jpg Blog2 - 42. 2021 A Wine Odyssey - Make it stand out My crop circle of corn with winter squash planted around the outside. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57c2316e15d5db588d9e0465/1631221961004-Z0TZLJ6HKZQJIOX7PVG7/IMG_0811.jpg Blog2 - 42. 2021 A Wine Odyssey - Make it stand out The produce of our garden was bountiful! https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57c2316e15d5db588d9e0465/1631221920999-39W0Q17QSQUFSR617KQO/IMG_0527.jpg Blog2 - 42. 2021 A Wine Odyssey - Make it stand out Katie and one of our male ducks. Our two male ducks became delicious food soon after this. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57c2316e15d5db588d9e0465/1631222051540-0E8IQR7H9S58DIWTN6B2/IMG_1875.jpg Blog2 - 42. 2021 A Wine Odyssey - Make it stand out Fresh duck hearts about to be grilled. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57c2316e15d5db588d9e0465/1631223375667-X803WT78GE1AR7N2E2MM/IMG_0073.jpg Blog2 - 42. 2021 A Wine Odyssey - Make it stand out A giant dog in a tiny truck at Robert Clay Vineyards in Mason, TX. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57c2316e15d5db588d9e0465/1631224902377-QQV8017OX3G4QC28N4A4/IMG_0572.jpg Blog2 - 42. 2021 A Wine Odyssey - Make it stand out This picture is taken from the top of the hill at the vineyard. The river running through the pasture below is a flash flood. The sound of the water moving is deafening. This sudden river is probably 50 feet wide and 3-4 feet deep. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57c2316e15d5db588d9e0465/1631224619736-WGI8SLMPZCRSREP745ON/IMG_0570.jpg Blog2 - 42. 2021 A Wine Odyssey - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57c2316e15d5db588d9e0465/1631224975803-KB97IZFGNUNMIF9IDSUJ/IMG_0609.jpg Blog2 - 42. 2021 A Wine Odyssey - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57c2316e15d5db588d9e0465/1631225021257-5BMEIIU7AFYCWTZPN4U5/IMG_0610.jpg Blog2 - 42. 2021 A Wine Odyssey - Make it stand out These new vines, and our garden, suffered two serious hail storms this year and still pulled through. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57c2316e15d5db588d9e0465/1631225059479-NY38QG8Q6CPNX23X2ZJG/IMG_0611.jpg Blog2 - 42. 2021 A Wine Odyssey - Make it stand out Serious hail. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57c2316e15d5db588d9e0465/1631225190692-2WQD4CPTAKT4FF5LS7EM/VHBF5856.jpg Blog2 - 42. 2021 A Wine Odyssey - Make it stand out This was one of the first rains of the year. The ground was still parched and very dusty. The rain and wind were very intense and stirred all the dust up into the air. The view of Blue Mountain is totally obscured. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57c2316e15d5db588d9e0465/1631224943073-NWNWQVHK74ZM7QBBR143/IMG_0599.jpg Blog2 - 42. 2021 A Wine Odyssey - Make it stand out The sky here is incomparable. This is the view of Blue Mountain that is obscured in the previous picture. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57c2316e15d5db588d9e0465/1631223490901-8X7CH52YA5ZSX7N33UNA/IMG_0190.jpg Blog2 - 42. 2021 A Wine Odyssey - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57c2316e15d5db588d9e0465/1631223527811-I59LGX25VCQA5WKHGC1C/IMG_0201.jpg Blog2 - 42. 2021 A Wine Odyssey - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57c2316e15d5db588d9e0465/1631224346478-3ITZNHCB5SZVM78C2JMU/IMG_0202.jpg Blog2 - 42. 2021 A Wine Odyssey - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57c2316e15d5db588d9e0465/1631224502136-WPHKBPWGYTR9NDMLLZMD/IMG_0204.jpg Blog2 - 42. 2021 A Wine Odyssey - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57c2316e15d5db588d9e0465/1631225098115-DOJ29YUF0LJCADU8G8IF/IMG_0778.jpg Blog2 - 42. 2021 A Wine Odyssey - Make it stand out Why aren’t all nachos made this way? Every chip is the perfect bite and there is no pile of crumbled plain chips leftover at the end. I love these. These are from the bar Planet Marfa in Marfa, TX. http://www.altamarfa.com/blog2/2021/3/13/2021-lift-off monthly 0.5 2021-03-17 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57c2316e15d5db588d9e0465/1615686699767-ZSQYMVVWXUN701OZ2P84/IMG_9700.JPG Blog2 - 41. 2021: Lift-off My friend Alan drew this. He is an incredibly talented artist and he created the label art for our 2020 wines. The labels have been submitted for regulatory approval and I am excited to unveil them soon! https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57c2316e15d5db588d9e0465/1615687213766-XNSV90PZULMTXUES65A1/IMG_9870.jpg Blog2 - 41. 2021: Lift-off After 4 years of commuting the 600 miles from our home in Houston to work in the vineyard on weekends, we spent 2020 split more or less 50/50 between Houston and West Texas. It was great to get to spend longer periods of time close to the vineyard. We were able to get a lot more done, but we also got a chance to really see how much needed doing. In February Katie and I finally moved the last of our things out of our house in Houston, and are now full time residents of Jeff Davis County. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57c2316e15d5db588d9e0465/1615686548138-SRG6E79KCWFEIISXNTYB/IMG_9338.jpg Blog2 - 41. 2021: Lift-off In early February we bottled our first wines from 2020. A huge thank you to Dan at Robert Clay Vineyards in Mason, not only for allowing us into his facility, but for helping us every step of the way and making sure we didn’t mess anything up too badly. Thanks to Blake and Gabe for their help as well. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57c2316e15d5db588d9e0465/1615686656587-PKNORAGQT73T5K36AF1V/IMG_9344.jpg Blog2 - 41. 2021: Lift-off In 2019 we only produced 10 cases of wine for sale. We are very excited to release our first three 2020 wines, totaling about 150 cases, and are very excited to share them soon! https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57c2316e15d5db588d9e0465/1615687642612-IDXCEC1X8CSSIUHHNA6J/Screen+Shot+2021-03-13+at+7.22.41+PM.png Blog2 - 41. 2021: Lift-off Shortly after bottling our wine we experienced the record cold weather which I’m sure everyone either experienced themselves or saw on TV. In just two days the temperature at the vineyard dropped from 60 degrees F to 2 degrees F. The temperature held at 2 degrees F for about twelve hours overnight. It also snowed 6-12 inches during the same time period. We were very lucky and did not lose power, but without a furnace in the house we burned a ton of wood and didn’t stray far from the fireplace for a few days. We are now working through the vineyard pruning and it is clear that more than a few vines succumbed to the historically low temperatures. We won’t know until after bud-break what the extent of the damage was. My biggest worry, at this point, is that this harsh weather will have negatively affected vineyards all across the state to a degree that will make the high quality fruit we are looking to purchase much harder to come by. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57c2316e15d5db588d9e0465/1615686892564-2EWEPHDVXAFPJK94ORT0/IMG_9817+1.jpg Blog2 - 41. 2021: Lift-off It was beautiful. Here is a frozen oak tree on top of our hill. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57c2316e15d5db588d9e0465/1615686991711-9QAMOU1KNHER7BIA3NZ2/IMG_9819.jpg Blog2 - 41. 2021: Lift-off A frozen cholla cactus. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57c2316e15d5db588d9e0465/1615687099088-U72XTXNOQTB7NHQ1GUO4/IMG_9830+1.jpg Blog2 - 41. 2021: Lift-off A view of Mitre Peak dominating the snowy landscape. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57c2316e15d5db588d9e0465/1615685696827-AQ7CANIVB6177MTODO9R/DYAF8268.JPG Blog2 - 41. 2021: Lift-off Our friend Adam White at our neighboring vineyard, Chateau Wright, was kind enough to let us take some cuttings from his vineyard for propagation. These are a grape variety called Cinsault. Cinsault is a red grape mostly grown in southern France. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57c2316e15d5db588d9e0465/1615687689058-406UXDQ6Z37FSGJM8JV3/IMG_E9973.JPG Blog2 - 41. 2021: Lift-off I am attempting to get the cuttings to grow roots before we plant then in the ground in order to, hopefully, improve their chance of survival once they are planted in the vineyard. I have them in a box of compost with a heating pad on the bottom. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57c2316e15d5db588d9e0465/1615685750853-1QBL1M4WZ0W91TWYP4X4/GACU6962.JPG Blog2 - 41. 2021: Lift-off Our new-to-us wine press! Very excited to try this thing out! https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57c2316e15d5db588d9e0465/1615687246746-LEBNLRKHDSZ5YXR01IGF/IMG_9872.jpg Blog2 - 41. 2021: Lift-off We also welcomed four ducklings and 6 baby chicks about 4 weeks ago. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57c2316e15d5db588d9e0465/1615687281221-SFUWSHQSJ4A4B5K80QBI/IMG_9920.jpg Blog2 - 41. 2021: Lift-off Here is Katie with the little duck I named Big Bird. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57c2316e15d5db588d9e0465/1615687556147-XTYTSLC62SJ2R9ZMXS0A/IMG_9965.JPG Blog2 - 41. 2021: Lift-off They grow fast! and they love to swim. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57c2316e15d5db588d9e0465/1615687461599-X4MPE4WU9IZ9OVKM9Y7C/IMG_9953.JPG Blog2 - 41. 2021: Lift-off It’s really feeling like spring in West Texas. The migrating birds have returned and green leaves and shoots are appearing everywhere. This picture shows a golden currant that I planted at the vineyard this winter. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57c2316e15d5db588d9e0465/1615687509520-0GS3THM81UMTU4ZTUVHU/IMG_9958.JPG Blog2 - 41. 2021: Lift-off Pear blossoms at the house. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57c2316e15d5db588d9e0465/1615687317095-F6ISY3Q8WZ0GG66J20V8/IMG_9952.JPG Blog2 - 41. 2021: Lift-off Here is Katie on the first day of pruning with Blue Mountain in the background. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57c2316e15d5db588d9e0465/1615686758364-X6YFI5ZJ9TB2ISO8B641/IMG_9738.jpg Blog2 - 41. 2021: Lift-off http://www.altamarfa.com/blog2/2021/1/5/40-a-new-year-means-crunch-time monthly 0.5 2021-03-17 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57c2316e15d5db588d9e0465/1609973579217-1FDA5300KPLI830DGAY0/IMG_9426.JPG Blog2 - 40. The End of 2020 . . . Finally A big project for the 2020-2021 dormant season will be the removal of every third row of the flattest section of the vineyard. We are making this change for several reasons: 1) Removing some of the vines means more irrigation water is left for the remaining vines. 2) Our rows were originally set up 5 feet wide, by removing every third row we will be creating access lanes that are 10 feet wide. This will make the use of a wheelbarrow or eventually something like a quad in the vineyard more feasible. 3) Because everything in our vineyard is done by hand, the amount of work required is extremely large. Less vines means more attention to each remaining vine. We are transplanting the vines from the rows being removed to the rows that are remaining to replace vines that didn’t survive. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57c2316e15d5db588d9e0465/1609973617932-COUIMHN2NTSYHDCXR5VE/IMG_9425.JPG Blog2 - 40. The End of 2020 . . . Finally This vine was planted in April 2020 and although we do see root development, we don't see as much as we wood like. In 2021 we are going to focus on increasing the vigor of the vines with the use of the wood chip mulch, we are going to try using some fish emulsion fertilizer, and we have improved the irrigation system to decrease the frequency of breakdowns. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57c2316e15d5db588d9e0465/1609974688084-7AKQQTBJYS09LT95K2WU/IMG_9202.JPG Blog2 - 40. The End of 2020 . . . Finally I was able to confirm with a soil thermometer that the wood chip mulch around the vines reduces the soil temperature by more than 10 degrees F. I’m very excited to see what kind of results will be achieved using the mulch in the 2021 growing season. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57c2316e15d5db588d9e0465/1609973021979-3ITNJF3UMMYLD35NL4FZ/IMG_9556.JPG Blog2 - 40. The End of 2020 . . . Finally Our resident Great Horned Owl. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57c2316e15d5db588d9e0465/1609973053390-1AU287GJFBZ3KK69E8WE/IMG_9562.JPG Blog2 - 40. The End of 2020 . . . Finally Here the owl is again, sunning itself. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57c2316e15d5db588d9e0465/1609972940374-ZDTJZEH03ZS1GW84LGX1/IMG_9534.JPG Blog2 - 40. The End of 2020 . . . Finally New Hat! https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57c2316e15d5db588d9e0465/1609973518182-DCW4PZNBN0NIVWDVVCXS/IMG_9439.JPG Blog2 - 40. The End of 2020 . . . Finally Houston friends returned for thanksgiving and we were able to finish putting up the plywood sheathing for the A-frame. Thanks Promit, Melissa and Paulina! https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57c2316e15d5db588d9e0465/1609974213664-SBYN14A3FE7DIDQRA8CP/IMG_9233.JPG Blog2 - 40. The End of 2020 . . . Finally The peak of the A-frame is 18 feet tall measured from the platform, and an additional 6 feet higher off the ground on the downhill side. Lots of time spent on a ladder for this project. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57c2316e15d5db588d9e0465/1609968685628-303WADX4FZN0NXX53Q09/IMG_9631.JPG Blog2 - 40. The End of 2020 . . . Finally This is a Mexican Redbud. It is part of an effort to plant native trees and shrubs within our fenced vineyard area, especially flowering varieties, to attract hummingbirds and butterflies and increase the biodiversity of our little vineyard ecosystem. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57c2316e15d5db588d9e0465/1609973904994-YHMYRZ7YE824PCQPSEZ1/IMG_9271.PNG Blog2 - 40. The End of 2020 . . . Finally 2020 was the warmest and driest year at Alta Marfa since we started our project. That came to an abrupt end in late October when we had an ice storm that ended the growing season. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57c2316e15d5db588d9e0465/1609974008276-ZKGIORUE510LLBG5TQOG/IMG_9264.JPG Blog2 - 40. The End of 2020 . . . Finally https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57c2316e15d5db588d9e0465/1609974845636-W23CFOHFSP4RD9M9LHC5/IMG_1857.JPG Blog2 - 40. The End of 2020 . . . Finally Mom behind the ice fence. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57c2316e15d5db588d9e0465/1609975026926-7VIIIJCN7GTZ9CAFEI8W/IMG_1852.JPG Blog2 - 40. The End of 2020 . . . Finally Ice covered cholla cactus. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57c2316e15d5db588d9e0465/1609968736374-L6GISFXHJP3S7FHYAJ20/IMG_9458.JPG Blog2 - 40. The End of 2020 . . . Finally In December we received more precipitation in the form of snow than we had received during the rest of the year combined. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57c2316e15d5db588d9e0465/1609968847313-V3IAOTRKAZZR211FAFXI/IMG_9462.JPG Blog2 - 40. The End of 2020 . . . Finally Vineyard buried in snow. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57c2316e15d5db588d9e0465/1609968907954-IQLPPXFOA63N8662RNSI/IMG_9468.JPG Blog2 - 40. The End of 2020 . . . Finally Snowy vineyard, seen from the top of our hill. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57c2316e15d5db588d9e0465/1609972879618-7HKG44D4LVJYOK5BAGPC/IMG_9475.JPG Blog2 - 40. The End of 2020 . . . Finally View of Blue Mountain behind the snow covered yuccas from our house. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57c2316e15d5db588d9e0465/1609974148409-RU6DV488E5LKD3TTLEFM/IMG_9256.JPG Blog2 - 40. The End of 2020 . . . Finally We produced 9 barrels of wine in 2020. Here you can see a sample from each barrel ready to undergo lab analysis. This analysis tells us the final alcohol %, titratable acidity and pH of each wine. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57c2316e15d5db588d9e0465/1609974252571-LWR1K7YADBBJS374VU6W/IMG_9230.JPG Blog2 - 40. The End of 2020 . . . Finally Katie and I enjoying a sunset walk :) https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57c2316e15d5db588d9e0465/1609974306751-E5YS6LS5O2AD9NZ3KTOS/IMG_9221.JPG Blog2 - 40. The End of 2020 . . . Finally https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57c2316e15d5db588d9e0465/1609974341754-G4P12FTTNP20D421QE9P/IMG_9218.JPG Blog2 - 40. The End of 2020 . . . Finally https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57c2316e15d5db588d9e0465/1609974388204-ZSFLRW9YF0JUIAIDTRH2/IMG_9216.JPG Blog2 - 40. The End of 2020 . . . Finally https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57c2316e15d5db588d9e0465/1609974425764-PJ55ROXXLVWRDREXA0Q5/IMG_9213.JPG Blog2 - 40. The End of 2020 . . . Finally https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57c2316e15d5db588d9e0465/1609974472419-CRGJMOD1CPP1YYQBQ00B/IMG_9209.JPG Blog2 - 40. The End of 2020 . . . Finally https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57c2316e15d5db588d9e0465/1609974553382-WPHHOUKAA4C40JOIAVRN/IMG_9224.JPG Blog2 - 40. The End of 2020 . . . Finally https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57c2316e15d5db588d9e0465/1609974589385-MMZNU3SS8TDJPC9ZRSUC/IMG_9207.JPG Blog2 - 40. The End of 2020 . . . Finally https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57c2316e15d5db588d9e0465/1609974622235-SJG66GGIAWZNJZB6K7KW/IMG_9205.JPG Blog2 - 40. The End of 2020 . . . Finally https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57c2316e15d5db588d9e0465/1609974651050-AJB5AGDFKZ3E7TZDDZ73/IMG_9204.JPG Blog2 - 40. The End of 2020 . . . Finally https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57c2316e15d5db588d9e0465/1609974719120-N4GQAVJJ8KAP9OGI417A/IMG_9198.JPG Blog2 - 40. The End of 2020 . . . Finally https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57c2316e15d5db588d9e0465/1609973807311-WCQUXKVGLZ6TK5EHCWL0/IMG_9399.JPG Blog2 - 40. The End of 2020 . . . Finally One of the better sunsets of 2020. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57c2316e15d5db588d9e0465/1609974750799-8LLH0AR58LDRNQ9CIGUH/IMG_9196.JPG Blog2 - 40. The End of 2020 . . . Finally Bye Bye 2020! http://www.altamarfa.com/blog2/2020/8/29/39-harvest-2020-complete-lots-of-wine-still-no-winery monthly 0.5 2020-09-09 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57c2316e15d5db588d9e0465/1599252791953-25R9X4S9C814W652332Q/IMG_8377.JPG Blog2 - 39. Harvest 2020 Complete, Lots of Wine, Still No Winery The vines we planted in April seem to be doing well. This particular vine has really taken off. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57c2316e15d5db588d9e0465/1599253529050-IJ94C8TSULDQ0U8OEN0N/IMG_8536.JPG Blog2 - 39. Harvest 2020 Complete, Lots of Wine, Still No Winery This little vine looks particularly happy. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57c2316e15d5db588d9e0465/1599252834771-1XHNEC2279DCKJHBFY3S/IMG_8387.JPG Blog2 - 39. Harvest 2020 Complete, Lots of Wine, Still No Winery This picture was taken on one of the handful of rainy days we’ve had this summer. As you may have noticed the vines are still quite small despite the fact that many of the ones pictured here were planted in 2019. The arid climate, and low levels of organic matter in the soil, the decision to leave the native grasses around the vines completely intact and very limited access to irrigation water have combined to produce very low vigor in the vines so far. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57c2316e15d5db588d9e0465/1599252743806-PYBRTH5O3QYZRA08NYLK/IMG_8349.JPG Blog2 - 39. Harvest 2020 Complete, Lots of Wine, Still No Winery Our friend Gabe made us this cool sign for our gate! https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57c2316e15d5db588d9e0465/1599252868071-8SOV144GGIBK0SS0J5R2/IMG_8404.JPG Blog2 - 39. Harvest 2020 Complete, Lots of Wine, Still No Winery Our trusty tent was nearing the end of its third year, and its age was starting to show. We decided it was time for something new. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57c2316e15d5db588d9e0465/1599075932136-0CKS93LG9CFDT0FGIARI/IMG_8409.JPG Blog2 - 39. Harvest 2020 Complete, Lots of Wine, Still No Winery The tent has served us well over the past few years. I personally spent over 100 nights in this tent. It has survived a fire, snow, brutal sun and lots and lots of wind. It was a little sad to see it go, but I can’t say I’m going to miss the icicles forming on my mustache in the middle of the night. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57c2316e15d5db588d9e0465/1599253006069-VQUP2J2I2FKH38I0BX74/IMG_8416.JPG Blog2 - 39. Harvest 2020 Complete, Lots of Wine, Still No Winery Our roommates Melissa and Paulina and honorary roommates Promit and Tyler. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57c2316e15d5db588d9e0465/1599253033802-IKURH8Z82UDNPSYJXF6S/IMG_8424.JPG Blog2 - 39. Harvest 2020 Complete, Lots of Wine, Still No Winery I was worried that taking the tent down would prove to be a challenge, but with all the help we had it ended up being easy breezy. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57c2316e15d5db588d9e0465/1599253120591-8YV0K63BJI7TX0K4HNBO/IMG_8440.JPG Blog2 - 39. Harvest 2020 Complete, Lots of Wine, Still No Winery We decided to use the sturdy platform we built and replace the tent with something a little more permanent. Can you tell what it’s going to be from this picture? https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57c2316e15d5db588d9e0465/1599253166537-O6FO43XDXJ7ZQTHML9DC/IMG_8465.JPG Blog2 - 39. Harvest 2020 Complete, Lots of Wine, Still No Winery The first three of the nineteen triangles. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57c2316e15d5db588d9e0465/1599253202311-O64ZRXH0Z8MX5YF0WF2X/IMG_8467.JPG Blog2 - 39. Harvest 2020 Complete, Lots of Wine, Still No Winery https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57c2316e15d5db588d9e0465/1599076070932-7QWOSFDDV1HIHRZ1WBSH/IMG_8471.JPG Blog2 - 39. Harvest 2020 Complete, Lots of Wine, Still No Winery All four of these guys have a lot more attention to detail and patience than I do. My plan to “wing it” was only salvaged by their skills and help. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57c2316e15d5db588d9e0465/1599253232155-RUSYSU7QM6C1BBW6V6VV/IMG_8479.JPG Blog2 - 39. Harvest 2020 Complete, Lots of Wine, Still No Winery It was some time about now that I realized that we were building a giant ‘A’ and ‘A’ is for Alta Marfa. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57c2316e15d5db588d9e0465/1599253283152-U57W6YN4OV8M80OZ9YKB/IMG_8480.JPG Blog2 - 39. Harvest 2020 Complete, Lots of Wine, Still No Winery ART 1 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57c2316e15d5db588d9e0465/1599253314867-DB39FMORIS9O64L0JIDD/IMG_8481.JPG Blog2 - 39. Harvest 2020 Complete, Lots of Wine, Still No Winery ART 2 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57c2316e15d5db588d9e0465/1599253350070-4SPVRBQWKR4RJXF55UKD/IMG_8482.JPG Blog2 - 39. Harvest 2020 Complete, Lots of Wine, Still No Winery ART 3 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57c2316e15d5db588d9e0465/1599253377211-4F8CG0FSUWH90R76XILH/IMG_8483.JPG Blog2 - 39. Harvest 2020 Complete, Lots of Wine, Still No Winery ART 4 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57c2316e15d5db588d9e0465/1599253404320-URR29Y6EVBMCMUVM81UI/IMG_8487.JPG Blog2 - 39. Harvest 2020 Complete, Lots of Wine, Still No Winery On our first trip we put up half of the triangles before calling it a day, just as the sun went down. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57c2316e15d5db588d9e0465/1598895239124-V0OISQO55PS2M7T9DEK4/IMG_8778.JPG Blog2 - 39. Harvest 2020 Complete, Lots of Wine, Still No Winery A few weeks later we came back to finish putting up the triangles. The peak of the roof is a little more than 18 feet above the platform. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57c2316e15d5db588d9e0465/1599078002131-DO5OUEZJODBF2AQP3997/IMG_8776.JPG Blog2 - 39. Harvest 2020 Complete, Lots of Wine, Still No Winery All nineteen triangles done! https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57c2316e15d5db588d9e0465/1598896079932-Y3D0BJAU49CF7TIVAN6B/IMG_8789.JPG Blog2 - 39. Harvest 2020 Complete, Lots of Wine, Still No Winery https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57c2316e15d5db588d9e0465/1598894959944-Y8WSFQ54VIW3U4Z70921/IMG_8797.JPG Blog2 - 39. Harvest 2020 Complete, Lots of Wine, Still No Winery The view from the loft is great! https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57c2316e15d5db588d9e0465/1598895635195-RMX75RYV139FE3K7EAUB/IMG_0380.JPG Blog2 - 39. Harvest 2020 Complete, Lots of Wine, Still No Winery Paulina being artsy. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57c2316e15d5db588d9e0465/1599077932725-S8EJ60E6H4IHVIC0FL80/IMG_8801.JPG Blog2 - 39. Harvest 2020 Complete, Lots of Wine, Still No Winery This is how it looks today. Next we will put up the rest of the plywood sheathing put on the roof. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57c2316e15d5db588d9e0465/1598895488247-J9P51PZH5VM98ZQGIWV1/IMG_0383.JPG Blog2 - 39. Harvest 2020 Complete, Lots of Wine, Still No Winery From the other side. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57c2316e15d5db588d9e0465/1598894876548-3GBX3FGVQHNLRQEN8BBK/IMG_8780.JPG Blog2 - 39. Harvest 2020 Complete, Lots of Wine, Still No Winery Pepe and Penny did not help at all. Lulu was no doubt off somewhere else causing mischief. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57c2316e15d5db588d9e0465/1599329982463-JKAMDEG4UTBZABWQX6NS/IMG_8541.JPG Blog2 - 39. Harvest 2020 Complete, Lots of Wine, Still No Winery I planted this lavender in 2018 the day after we finished planting all the vines and everyone left. I stayed by myself because the irrigation system still wasn’t working and I didn’t know how to fix it. I ended up getting it fixed after a few days. If it had worked the way it was supposed to initially I probably would have left with everyone else and never would’ve planted the lavender. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57c2316e15d5db588d9e0465/1599330158169-FN23APX1ADC4Z8LDSJI4/IMG_8558.JPG Blog2 - 39. Harvest 2020 Complete, Lots of Wine, Still No Winery I started working in this building during the summer before my senior year of college. After finishing school I moved to Houston and worked there since. After 8 years I decided to leave. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57c2316e15d5db588d9e0465/1599330118486-JKN516YFU8PA8R0YCIMN/IMG_8557.JPG Blog2 - 39. Harvest 2020 Complete, Lots of Wine, Still No Winery After working remotely since March, I made one last trip into the office in June to turn in my laptop and to clear out my office. I walked out with only this box of stuff; it was like a movie. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57c2316e15d5db588d9e0465/1599330238194-OB760DNGTQUTONEYRPZK/IMG_8653.JPG Blog2 - 39. Harvest 2020 Complete, Lots of Wine, Still No Winery After 8 months in this barrel we opened our 2019 red Tempranillo for the first time. It’s still a long way from being fully formed, and it still may not make it, but it’s showing promise. We closed it back up, and plan to open it again in 6-12 months to see how it tastes. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57c2316e15d5db588d9e0465/1599332148336-TSZVYO0WA5LZWKSDRIV7/IMG_8649.JPG Blog2 - 39. Harvest 2020 Complete, Lots of Wine, Still No Winery This is Flynn. He has woken me up more than once this summer by him covering my face in slobber. During the lead up to our Tempranillo harvest at Robert Clay Vineyards, I periodically spent nights there to see how the grapes were coming along, or to check on our barrel of 2019 red wine. RCV is also vaguely half way between Houston and Marfa, and because we have not been flying due to COVID, the repeated 600 mile drive (one way) has become grueling. Flynn is enormous, he is already well over 100 lbs and still not fully grown. He is a big lovable dufus. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57c2316e15d5db588d9e0465/1599332349276-LJNN7Z9THL6DNAQ3YWCS/IMG_8650.JPG Blog2 - 39. Harvest 2020 Complete, Lots of Wine, Still No Winery The first night I slept in the back of my little truck I did not cover it with a tarp as I did in this picture. There stars were beautiful; it was a pleasant night. What could go wrong? It started pouring suddenly around 4am. I got completely soaked and slept the rest of the night curled up in the front seat. Another night my truck bed was full of windows, so I decided to sleep in a nearby hammock. The hammock wasn’t bad, but every two hours Flynn and his sister Cleo would visit me on their nighttime guard dog rounds and try to wrestle me out of the hammock. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57c2316e15d5db588d9e0465/1599331464661-PLWHE1AQT0ITSVSN9T42/IMG_8613.JPG Blog2 - 39. Harvest 2020 Complete, Lots of Wine, Still No Winery In 2019 we picked the Tempranillo at Robert Clay on July 6th for our first wine, Lazer Cat. It was a very early pick for Texas, and being our harvest, it was some what of a leap of faith. We were hoping to make an acid driven refreshing wine and it worked! https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57c2316e15d5db588d9e0465/1599331404277-3QHTLF5TQXQCUF95NJVJ/IMG_8611.JPG Blog2 - 39. Harvest 2020 Complete, Lots of Wine, Still No Winery This year we ended up picking the RCV Tempranillo on June 27th. Trying to maintain style continuity with the last year’s Lazer Cat, while at the same time respecting that 2020 is its own vintage, was a new challenge. The 2020 fruit has slightly more acid and lower sugars than 2019, but at the same time has more color and more ripe flavors. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57c2316e15d5db588d9e0465/1599331608222-F82JLNEJOMBT1KMMOEKB/IMG_8627.JPG Blog2 - 39. Harvest 2020 Complete, Lots of Wine, Still No Winery When it came time to harvest, Dog Face agreed that the fruit was ready. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57c2316e15d5db588d9e0465/1599331505627-8ZVT6JN29LGQ62JZCPNE/IMG_8622.JPG Blog2 - 39. Harvest 2020 Complete, Lots of Wine, Still No Winery Beautiful fruit! https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57c2316e15d5db588d9e0465/1599330523918-VC5UG3M448XTS3X0EWN5/IMG_8659.JPG Blog2 - 39. Harvest 2020 Complete, Lots of Wine, Still No Winery This year we were able to purchase 5 rows of Tempranillo from Robert Clay Vineyards. Last year year our total harvest was about 1,800 lbs divided between the Lazer Cat and the yet to be released red wine. This year we ended up with 2.3 tons! (~4,600 lbs) https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57c2316e15d5db588d9e0465/1599077179234-RWHNKS279VV5J6KGWOII/NKVN6279.JPEG Blog2 - 39. Harvest 2020 Complete, Lots of Wine, Still No Winery This day was so exciting! A huge rush of adrenaline to start the day around 5 am. Julian and I finished pressing around midnight. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57c2316e15d5db588d9e0465/1599331639511-KJ3V4HX2YCJX9RGULZ89/IMG_8632.JPG Blog2 - 39. Harvest 2020 Complete, Lots of Wine, Still No Winery Perfect! https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57c2316e15d5db588d9e0465/1599331671177-GSK3JXRYJ238H0ZLW3OB/IMG_8633.JPG Blog2 - 39. Harvest 2020 Complete, Lots of Wine, Still No Winery Dan (RCV owner and farmer) and both Zacks all admiring the freshly harvested Tempranillo. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57c2316e15d5db588d9e0465/1599252683245-W8RX39VO6H0MV3YS33IF/HIMH0307.JPEG Blog2 - 39. Harvest 2020 Complete, Lots of Wine, Still No Winery The newest Olympic sport! Press racing! I’m winning! Just kidding, we all lost because it took 12 hours and over 20 press loads to finish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57c2316e15d5db588d9e0465/1599077246023-SNELMY61SMXCU6KHLNLA/IRES1518.JPEG Blog2 - 39. Harvest 2020 Complete, Lots of Wine, Still No Winery We did it though! Thanks so much to Zack and Julian for helping me press all day. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57c2316e15d5db588d9e0465/1599332001473-16H48PAEAPZUU3IKM8R0/IMG_8645.JPG Blog2 - 39. Harvest 2020 Complete, Lots of Wine, Still No Winery Looks like Lazer Cat! It tasted like it too! Pink Lemonade! https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57c2316e15d5db588d9e0465/1599331708454-09LATPXDWFPMA9FPEO1F/IMG_8637.JPG Blog2 - 39. Harvest 2020 Complete, Lots of Wine, Still No Winery As we loaded the fruit into the press, we set all of the least ripe/greenest fruit aside and pressed it separately. This special super acid juice will become a special sparkling wine. Can’t wait! https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57c2316e15d5db588d9e0465/1599077459834-FIRYNDBSDJFNFJ4JZ0KP/IMG_8873.JPG Blog2 - 39. Harvest 2020 Complete, Lots of Wine, Still No Winery After the wine spent 10 days fermenting in tanks, I returned to the RCV winery and Julian and I moved the wine into our new stainless steel barrels. Despite Julian’s face, I swear we were having a great time. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57c2316e15d5db588d9e0465/1598895420970-N2SHL8E5MHQPAGUH4H3T/IMG_8875.JPG Blog2 - 39. Harvest 2020 Complete, Lots of Wine, Still No Winery Wine contains multitudes! This stuff is called ‘lees’. It is what falls to the bottom of the tank after fermentation is complete. It is a mixture of grape particles, acid crystals, dead bacteria and yeast cells. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57c2316e15d5db588d9e0465/1598894917203-98U0T91PP8L481J36H0W/IMG_8878.JPG Blog2 - 39. Harvest 2020 Complete, Lots of Wine, Still No Winery All done! We put an air lock on each barrel so that malolactic fermentation could do its thing without pressurizing the barrels. It’s likely the sparkling wine, occupying just a single barrel, won’t even go through malolactic fermentation due to its very low ph, about 3.0 after primary fermentation. Both wines are now safe in barrels waiting to be bottled this winter. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57c2316e15d5db588d9e0465/1599077346946-UU121S75RD71ASCENCOT/IMG_8594.jpg Blog2 - 39. Harvest 2020 Complete, Lots of Wine, Still No Winery Always great to see cool bugs like this in the vineyard. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57c2316e15d5db588d9e0465/1599077618025-U7VQ84RAH0KE19WMOZG1/IMG_8852.JPG Blog2 - 39. Harvest 2020 Complete, Lots of Wine, Still No Winery Katie and I and our friend Gabe planted a small vegetable garden at the vineyard in May. We planted tomatoes, okra, eggplant, basil, chilies and strawberries. At the time it was so windy and hot that the baby plants took a beating. We were worried none would survive, but hey all pulled through and are now flourishing! https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57c2316e15d5db588d9e0465/1599075668423-MGDNB8DE03CFMVR5BOOX/VXOE3944.JPG Blog2 - 39. Harvest 2020 Complete, Lots of Wine, Still No Winery So much of the summer was marked by views like this. Beautiful, but also exhausting and frustrating. We constantly hoped for rain, and time after time it would rain . . . somewhere else. Ninety percent of the annual rainfall usually comes during the summer. This summer we only received a small fraction of the usual amount. I’ve never been in a position before to care so much about the rain. It is eye opening to feel so vulnerable and realize that so many people around the world who participate in agriculture for their livelihood feel the same. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57c2316e15d5db588d9e0465/1599331288154-ELHLO34NUP2BK6CTQWX4/IMG_8705.JPG Blog2 - 39. Harvest 2020 Complete, Lots of Wine, Still No Winery Isolated rainfall https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57c2316e15d5db588d9e0465/1599252712744-OKMZ27IBRSQV3ACQCQ3K/IMG_8345.JPG Blog2 - 39. Harvest 2020 Complete, Lots of Wine, Still No Winery https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57c2316e15d5db588d9e0465/1598895053077-ZCOM0CRQNHWMOXV4YC0L/IMG_8844.JPG Blog2 - 39. Harvest 2020 Complete, Lots of Wine, Still No Winery I found 35 old wooden windows for sale on craigslist. I drove to San Antonio and picked them up. With them in my little truck I could barely go faster than 65 mph. I’m planning to build a greenhouse out of them! https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57c2316e15d5db588d9e0465/1599077530582-0LXT52CW86KOPB0GP57K/IMG_8855.JPG Blog2 - 39. Harvest 2020 Complete, Lots of Wine, Still No Winery In July we were getting ready to pour the concrete slab for our winery when we ran into trouble. To save everyone having to hear about the unpleasantness that ensued, I will summarize this way: legal action was threatened against us should we move forward with our plans to build a winery on the lot we had purchased. Extremely discouraged, both with our business prospect and with humanity in general, we sold the lot and moved on. Since then we have left no stone unturned searching for another space. I have put print ads in local papers, posted on local message boards, scoured the internet, and have been thwarted at every turn so far. We don’t have enough water available from our well to feel comfortable putting the winery on the same property as our vineyard, and the property my parents bought earlier this year happens to be in a dry part of the county. The search continues and has extended to Houston as well. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57c2316e15d5db588d9e0465/1598893576550-VRYWKDZRPQCTACL6MMK5/IMG_8921.JPG Blog2 - 39. Harvest 2020 Complete, Lots of Wine, Still No Winery On top of everything else, I accidentally crimped one of the power wires in the metal case while replacing the weather station battery. It shorted and caught on fire, melting the end of the battery! https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57c2316e15d5db588d9e0465/1599330768653-GXQK7GY363XXX1AECDJE/IMG_8666.JPG Blog2 - 39. Harvest 2020 Complete, Lots of Wine, Still No Winery This picture was sent to me from the Forbidden Desert Vineyard near Truth or Consequences, NM. We were introduced to this vineyard through an Instagram acquaintance and we decided to purchase 1.5 tons of Chardonnay and 1.5 tons of Chenin Blanc. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57c2316e15d5db588d9e0465/1599330824217-Y8PVOQVDX4PMHR5NXWR8/IMG_8667.JPG Blog2 - 39. Harvest 2020 Complete, Lots of Wine, Still No Winery The ripening grapes. This picture shows how sandy the vineyard floor is. Due to COVID we haven’t even been able to visit the vineyard yet. The vineyard was formerly owned by Gruet, a sparkling wine producer, founded in New Mexico in the early 1980’s. The vines are over 25 years old. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57c2316e15d5db588d9e0465/1599330190848-64882S333JIXSOUBI4CZ/IMG_8576.JPG Blog2 - 39. Harvest 2020 Complete, Lots of Wine, Still No Winery It was a very exciting day when our first ever wine tanks arrived! https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57c2316e15d5db588d9e0465/1598893870063-LOTKT7ON0D90UHZ93MMS/IMG_8971.JPG Blog2 - 39. Harvest 2020 Complete, Lots of Wine, Still No Winery We ordered three 200 gallon tanks for our grapes coming from New Mexico. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57c2316e15d5db588d9e0465/1598893057297-BUESI0RWMN0AQ8PQP8ZL/EMTX5494.JPG Blog2 - 39. Harvest 2020 Complete, Lots of Wine, Still No Winery The logistics of picking up three tons of grapes in New Mexico and bring them back to the Robert Clay Winery in Mason, TX turned out to be quite challenging. For some reason COVID has resulted in a nationwide shortage of trailers. Go figure. I finally was able to purchase this trailer in Houston and borrowed Promit’s truck to tow it out to Fort Davis. Because I was by myself, wrestling these tanks onto the trailer and strapping them down ended up taking about 3 hours. Once everything was secure I set off for Ruidoso, New Mexico to pick up our freshly pressed white grape juice. Five hours later I arrived in Ruidoso which is high in the mountains and surrounded by pine forest. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57c2316e15d5db588d9e0465/1598890720581-8CYLIM7PA1DQWF2NBR5S/IMG_8980.JPG Blog2 - 39. Harvest 2020 Complete, Lots of Wine, Still No Winery The guys at the winery were super helpful. They had everything pressed for me when I arrived, and helped me get everything in the tanks and loaded onto the trailer in only an hour and a half. Just as we finished loading everything back onto the trailer when it started pouring. I set out for the RCV winery in Mason around 7pm in order to avoid transporting the juice in the heat of the day. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57c2316e15d5db588d9e0465/1598893178705-IOUAY9TU5H22HAQ7BV7V/IMG_8982.JPG Blog2 - 39. Harvest 2020 Complete, Lots of Wine, Still No Winery Almost as soon as I left the winery with the full tanks, in the rain, Google Maps tried to lead me on to this dirt road . . . I decided to take the long way around. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57c2316e15d5db588d9e0465/1598893087857-OW5E7XWCFE5RKN1EAMJ3/NGGE9662.JPG Blog2 - 39. Harvest 2020 Complete, Lots of Wine, Still No Winery I arrived in Mason around 5am and immediately went to sleep in the drivers seat, parked in front of the winery. I slept about 3 hours until Julian arrived and helped me unload the trailer and stow the soon-to-be-wine safely in the winery. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57c2316e15d5db588d9e0465/1598891998424-2M26WLGM966BEB0YQZEW/IMG_8987.JPG Blog2 - 39. Harvest 2020 Complete, Lots of Wine, Still No Winery The tanks were already starting to ferment when we unloaded them from the trailer. This wine is 50/50 Chenin Blanc and Chardonnay, and we left the skins in during fermentation, which is not typical for white wine. We also will have a 100% Chardonnay and a 100% Chenin Blanc. Both of these wines are more typical white wines and were not fermented with the skins. As I’m writing this, the three New Mexico wines are done fermenting but still in their fermentation tanks. Katie and I plan to head to Mason soon to transfer the wine into barrels. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57c2316e15d5db588d9e0465/1598890860473-UMBQ8FA20S1PDTLK9K7V/IMG_8891.jpg Blog2 - 39. Harvest 2020 Complete, Lots of Wine, Still No Winery First experiment. I dug 6 holes between different vines and filled the holes with bokashi compost (if you are into compost stuff and don’t know what this is I recommend googling it, and also trying it out for yourself :)). This adds organic matter and active microbes to the soil. The idea is to wait and see if we detect any difference in growth between vines with bokashi and vines without. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57c2316e15d5db588d9e0465/1598894080527-IZKLC3K86BWDILARA2OB/IMG_8893.jpg Blog2 - 39. Harvest 2020 Complete, Lots of Wine, Still No Winery https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57c2316e15d5db588d9e0465/1598894347473-OG9QV5JFCPUPJZGQ0INU/IMG_8896.jpg Blog2 - 39. Harvest 2020 Complete, Lots of Wine, Still No Winery Now we wait. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57c2316e15d5db588d9e0465/1599330074973-TJXLOI7XCP8DEAZS2ALT/IMG_8550.JPG Blog2 - 39. Harvest 2020 Complete, Lots of Wine, Still No Winery Wood chips picked up for free from the local dump. Driving down a very bumpy road shook everything down and formed this giant wood chip granola bar. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57c2316e15d5db588d9e0465/1598894172642-T4ED3UAU2ORE6S72P0P7/IMG_8901.JPG Blog2 - 39. Harvest 2020 Complete, Lots of Wine, Still No Winery A neighbor was very kind and gave us some horse manure. I mixed the manure and the wood chips to make some more compost! https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57c2316e15d5db588d9e0465/1599331241056-MP1US7PULLZAJJW2ISRY/IMG_8673.JPG Blog2 - 39. Harvest 2020 Complete, Lots of Wine, Still No Winery Second experiment. I removed the grass in a small radius around this little row of vines. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57c2316e15d5db588d9e0465/1599061992708-U0MMTUJ3LNNLVMF2UQI0/IMG_8676.JPG Blog2 - 39. Harvest 2020 Complete, Lots of Wine, Still No Winery I then put down a layer of contractor paper. It’s just thick construction paper. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57c2316e15d5db588d9e0465/1598895094872-88AA2QERRU1C4OL3MSJV/IMG_8678.JPG Blog2 - 39. Harvest 2020 Complete, Lots of Wine, Still No Winery I then applied a 6-8 inch thick layer of wood chips as mulch. The idea here is to trap as much moisture as possible by preventing evaporation, and to eliminate competition from other plants close to the vines. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57c2316e15d5db588d9e0465/1598891071660-1PZWBFJTCRSDM575SWV0/IMG_8887.JPG Blog2 - 39. Harvest 2020 Complete, Lots of Wine, Still No Winery Just in time for a little rain! https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57c2316e15d5db588d9e0465/1598891124380-JLT1GBQKWE34YNQTVCOD/IMG_8886.JPG Blog2 - 39. Harvest 2020 Complete, Lots of Wine, Still No Winery After only a week several vines started sprouting new shoots. More time is needed to really tell, but early indications seem very promising. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57c2316e15d5db588d9e0465/1598892759350-K2K219X7CHZ8QGYJDFOH/IMG_1049.JPG Blog2 - 39. Harvest 2020 Complete, Lots of Wine, Still No Winery Back when I thought we had a winery space secured I purchased some used winery equipment from a winery in California. My parents graciously went and picked it up for me and had been storing everything at their house for the past few months. Katie and I finally made it out to California and, with the help of my dad and my brother, got it loaded into a container to be shipped back to Texas. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57c2316e15d5db588d9e0465/1598891216312-BXBGIR2AEYHWDYLU847M/IMG_9033.JPG Blog2 - 39. Harvest 2020 Complete, Lots of Wine, Still No Winery https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57c2316e15d5db588d9e0465/1598891290524-H7UK9VKSJUWY3HLGQU3C/IMG_9035.JPG Blog2 - 39. Harvest 2020 Complete, Lots of Wine, Still No Winery Tetris https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57c2316e15d5db588d9e0465/1598891685444-BL5AULD262K2QVVHM7AQ/IMG_9038.JPG Blog2 - 39. Harvest 2020 Complete, Lots of Wine, Still No Winery Packing Ninjas https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57c2316e15d5db588d9e0465/1599252612518-NNDXJKT0JW3XIXEM90EG/FLOD8412.JPG Blog2 - 39. Harvest 2020 Complete, Lots of Wine, Still No Winery Here I am showing my parents some of the business planning I’ve been doing. Things have been very fluid over the past few months, and now without a winery space things have become more complicated, but a lot of progress has been made toward having a completed investor pitch in order to raise some money to get our business off the ground. We are also looking into agriculture loans as an option. We are looking at every option that might allow me to avoid going back to the office again. Thanks so much to everyone that helped out giving feedback on the business plan so far. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57c2316e15d5db588d9e0465/1599075507209-EZ1H6XSETA4298GNA18S/IMG_8295.JPG Blog2 - 39. Harvest 2020 Complete, Lots of Wine, Still No Winery This moth was huuuge! More than two inches long. http://www.altamarfa.com/blog2/2020/4/15/38 monthly 0.5 2020-09-06 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57c2316e15d5db588d9e0465/1586961761816-B3AOECS6TVWI1CNSTXUQ/IMG_8121.jpg Blog2 - 38. No AltaFest, No fun, Still Planting Grape Vines I think this picture accurately portrays the mood at Alta Marfa in the first month or so of 2020: bright, sunshiny, we were eagerly looking out at the path laid before us. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57c2316e15d5db588d9e0465/1586961155522-J9YLB0XUOLJHR0NB848J/IMG_7797.jpg Blog2 - 38. No AltaFest, No fun, Still Planting Grape Vines In February 2020 we almost bought this metal building in Fort Davis to make into a winery. For about a year before this we had considered every option we could think of for a winery space. Digging a cave on the vineyard property, a dilapidated roller rink in Marfa, an abandoned Coca Cola bottling plant in Alpine. . . None of these seemed quite right, and they were all too expensive. Then we found this metal building in Fort Davis, only 10 minutes from the vineyard, and very reasonably priced! We moved on it quickly, signed a contract, had an inspection done and even met one of the neighbors. To our great surprise we then found out the owner already had a contract with another potential buyer . . . our hopes for a winery in this building were dashed. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57c2316e15d5db588d9e0465/1586961088126-O61DJKKKN1XW9D9XHKGQ/IMG_7792.jpg Blog2 - 38. No AltaFest, No fun, Still Planting Grape Vines The inside. This place was far from perfect, it didn’t have a floor drain, didn’t have adequate insulation and didn’t have air conditioning. At the time, having the deal fall through was really hard. At many points on this Alta Marfa journey when something hasn’t gone the way I had hoped I have fallen into the trap of feeling like a special, one-time opportunity has been missed, and there is no hope for another path forward, let alone a better outcome. Each time I have been wrong, and most of the times I’ve almost instantly realized that the “special” opportunity that I “missed” was not something I actually needed or wanted at all. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57c2316e15d5db588d9e0465/1586962902491-J9H4KC59WBJTNTMUR45G/IMG_8203.jpg Blog2 - 38. No AltaFest, No fun, Still Planting Grape Vines At Alta Marfa we have big rocks and small dogs. Here Lulu is thinking, “Hey guys 2020 seems like its gonna be a great year!” https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57c2316e15d5db588d9e0465/1586962642938-1KSKEX3ATRD6DOFDMA4Y/IMG_8192.jpg Blog2 - 38. No AltaFest, No fun, Still Planting Grape Vines Because our irrigation system is designed by us and built by us, it is what you might call “quirky”. Unfortunately sometimes this “quirkiness” could be translated as “broken” or “doesn’t pump water”. Little by little all of the PVC is being replaced with metal. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57c2316e15d5db588d9e0465/1586962858185-7ZZTJVNHFPPMBX2AP1ZY/IMG_8194.jpg Blog2 - 38. No AltaFest, No fun, Still Planting Grape Vines It’s a bit of a Frankenstein. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57c2316e15d5db588d9e0465/1586960708397-F391V1GS815SBFVOSTDL/46DF8B15-D363-4D91-9903-6168320D1EFE.JPG Blog2 - 38. No AltaFest, No fun, Still Planting Grape Vines Electricity is fun and scary. Luckily this time, this pump controller just had a bad capacitor and was replaced under warranty! https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57c2316e15d5db588d9e0465/1586961594906-NE0GTABLVNF9ANXV0PTY/IMG_8047.jpg Blog2 - 38. No AltaFest, No fun, Still Planting Grape Vines There isn’t a lot of green here during the winter so seeing all the little buds poking out was pretty great. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57c2316e15d5db588d9e0465/1593888836369-42LY5184ACYP4GSGSSGN/IMG_0021.JPG Blog2 - 38. No AltaFest, No fun, Still Planting Grape Vines When everything was starting to grow this spring it really started to look like a vineyard. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57c2316e15d5db588d9e0465/1586962126211-0R6I9Q21RU5ZDTI88U1C/IMG_8188.jpg Blog2 - 38. No AltaFest, No fun, Still Planting Grape Vines A Dolcetto vine that was planted last year. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57c2316e15d5db588d9e0465/1593889285228-X0AQ5UV4XEK288STXVSN/IMG_7157.JPG Blog2 - 38. No AltaFest, No fun, Still Planting Grape Vines Katie and I, our roommates Paulina and Melissa and our friend Chris made up planting crew #1. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57c2316e15d5db588d9e0465/1593888860211-TCFUMGYCW6UM80CM6HY0/IMG_0049.JPG Blog2 - 38. No AltaFest, No fun, Still Planting Grape Vines This year when planting we put about 1 cup of bentonite clay and a hand full of compost in each hole before we put the vine in. It was my hope that the clay and organic matter would help retain water near the roots. The more we learn the more we realize the soil in our vineyard drains extremely well, this means that for new vines with very short roots, any water, irrigation or otherwise, will quickly drain past the roots and be of no use to the young plant. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57c2316e15d5db588d9e0465/1593888975566-Z7L63NBJTHWYC30RFH68/IMG_0097.JPG Blog2 - 38. No AltaFest, No fun, Still Planting Grape Vines Lulu planting a vine. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57c2316e15d5db588d9e0465/1593889043801-9CHKNJ4JXNHANRKVOXNI/IMG_1300.JPG Blog2 - 38. No AltaFest, No fun, Still Planting Grape Vines This year we were planting replacement vines. This meant that the empty holes we were planting in were interspersed randomly between the successfully planted vines from previous years. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57c2316e15d5db588d9e0465/1593889132352-4YO8C1R2A6RXDISEZCA4/IMG_2947.JPG Blog2 - 38. No AltaFest, No fun, Still Planting Grape Vines Chris and I just having a short midday banquet. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57c2316e15d5db588d9e0465/1593889374152-2C1A4W8ZLQF7DX4XF11M/IMG_8960.JPG Blog2 - 38. No AltaFest, No fun, Still Planting Grape Vines Katie, Melissa and a masked ninja having a banquet of their own. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57c2316e15d5db588d9e0465/1593889401464-MUAS5MOR657MLD78JSQJ/IMG_9825.JPG Blog2 - 38. No AltaFest, No fun, Still Planting Grape Vines Katie and I drinking a wine! https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57c2316e15d5db588d9e0465/1593889439098-H8JYEAP9ND15YLV208JN/IMG_7625.JPG Blog2 - 38. No AltaFest, No fun, Still Planting Grape Vines Row 14, it was a very good row. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57c2316e15d5db588d9e0465/1593888998636-WV1KUSMO8UK3C40PTOH4/IMG_0919.JPG Blog2 - 38. No AltaFest, No fun, Still Planting Grape Vines The room mate planting crew, surveying our work. Thanks Chris for making me look cool. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57c2316e15d5db588d9e0465/1593889668477-SW3QZ5AUNBUR7QR7ZKOD/IMG_8268.jpg Blog2 - 38. No AltaFest, No fun, Still Planting Grape Vines Planting Crew number 2. Thanks Parents! Couldn’t have done it without you! https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57c2316e15d5db588d9e0465/1586961703609-JAESZH63Q223897KG2JZ/IMG_8101.jpg Blog2 - 38. No AltaFest, No fun, Still Planting Grape Vines Here’s to looking at you 2020. . . https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57c2316e15d5db588d9e0465/1593889018978-6ASGNKVSSLO8WOQWBKCL/IMG_1062.JPG Blog2 - 38. No AltaFest, No fun, Still Planting Grape Vines Wolf Spider https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57c2316e15d5db588d9e0465/1593888929357-XQ4YQ7Y1BEOV71IPBZ6K/IMG_0085.JPG Blog2 - 38. No AltaFest, No fun, Still Planting Grape Vines I don’t know what else to say. This is a crazy flower. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57c2316e15d5db588d9e0465/1586961536919-PEBOVAENLQA3OPBBVWHX/IMG_8006.JPG Blog2 - 38. No AltaFest, No fun, Still Planting Grape Vines The skeleton of a prickly pear cactus. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57c2316e15d5db588d9e0465/1593889327512-HOBOXW3THIVD7TVA5XHP/IMG_7773.JPG Blog2 - 38. No AltaFest, No fun, Still Planting Grape Vines Katie examining a nice cholla skeleton. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57c2316e15d5db588d9e0465/1586960798810-N9TF89KSQ16XFBKG5AIM/IMG_7752.jpg Blog2 - 38. No AltaFest, No fun, Still Planting Grape Vines Venus https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57c2316e15d5db588d9e0465/1593888884676-WWLKEE1E4SOTHH0VCT0G/IMG_0075.JPG Blog2 - 38. No AltaFest, No fun, Still Planting Grape Vines https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57c2316e15d5db588d9e0465/1593888909659-YQ05SV5NKG0WZMMLNUCK/IMG_0077.JPG Blog2 - 38. No AltaFest, No fun, Still Planting Grape Vines https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57c2316e15d5db588d9e0465/1593888581727-9FLIT2PPU5JMWEMLJAPS/IMG_0006.JPG Blog2 - 38. No AltaFest, No fun, Still Planting Grape Vines https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57c2316e15d5db588d9e0465/1586960775616-EFN5MZEZ1898MSP9RQ6X/IMG_7749.jpg Blog2 - 38. No AltaFest, No fun, Still Planting Grape Vines https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57c2316e15d5db588d9e0465/1586961855649-BSKQ4N8ARPICEOF0L1ON/IMG_8158.JPG Blog2 - 38. No AltaFest, No fun, Still Planting Grape Vines http://www.altamarfa.com/blog2/2020/1/7/37-lazer-cat monthly 0.5 2020-01-24 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57c2316e15d5db588d9e0465/1578959017265-QKFVPXP39H4N5SXON64N/IMG_7109.JPG Blog2 - 37. Lazer Cat At the very end of the 2019 season, we removed the cardboard vine protectors and found a few surprises. Generally, grapevines do not produce fruit at this age, but there were a handful of vines out of the whole vineyard that did. It was very fun to have a few grapes to taste! https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57c2316e15d5db588d9e0465/1578958983408-WI6HTA8EEONHAM5JQKDY/IMG_7114.JPG Blog2 - 37. Lazer Cat Beautiful! They taste good too! https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57c2316e15d5db588d9e0465/1578958599401-T6XDS6PF76QOWLHCVDO5/IMG_7224.JPG Blog2 - 37. Lazer Cat Here is one of our experimental dry-farmed vines at the very end of the 2019 season. We had a very long spell without rain and these guys were looking pretty withered. Judging by the brown leaves on the ground beneath each vine, my guess is that, due to water stress, they partially or fully defoliated (lost their leaves). Eventually, it rained and the vines grew new leaves. At the end of the season, we still had 5/5 vines alive and with green leaves. I am very curious to see how these do in 2020. Plus, I’m hoping to add a few more vine friends to join them outside the fence this year. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57c2316e15d5db588d9e0465/1578958778452-5U39SNN71N725FUYZOAT/IMG_7124.JPG Blog2 - 37. Lazer Cat Katie found this Jewel Scarab. Look at the blue feet! https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57c2316e15d5db588d9e0465/1578958707622-0FYZ63ZXNL3KS238ULE8/IMG_7171.JPG Blog2 - 37. Lazer Cat Katie and Lauren taking a break in the shade of our trusty tent. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57c2316e15d5db588d9e0465/1578958106817-NKXMJP20AGX9XWOZPDFN/IMG_4581.JPG Blog2 - 37. Lazer Cat Liquid Gold https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57c2316e15d5db588d9e0465/1578958400629-XT8LDA7NLJ2YN06KBQBH/TLFY0902.JPG Blog2 - 37. Lazer Cat #AccidentalRenaissance We bottled the Lazer Cat one bottle at a time, directly from the steel barrel, with a little piece of vinyl tubing. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57c2316e15d5db588d9e0465/1578958225539-WDW50GKX92GL228QGFAD/IMG_4577.JPG Blog2 - 37. Lazer Cat The look on my face tells you all you need to know about how long it took to bottle the Lazer Cat. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57c2316e15d5db588d9e0465/1578958068020-IO9JO0F2GTL43AJ3Y54G/IMG_7461.JPG Blog2 - 37. Lazer Cat FYI, turning a big brick of wax into a melted pot of wax is extremely frustrating and difficult. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57c2316e15d5db588d9e0465/1578957938699-O9KWRCBMG56AN7TLMUP7/IMG_7463.JPG Blog2 - 37. Lazer Cat Here is an example of a bottle that had a glass closure that I then dipped in wax. When I tried to dip the next bottle after this one, the glass stopper came off and I dumped half the bottle into the hot wax. This resulted in a lot of pink cotton candy-like foam bubbling up out of the crockpot, and of course, the wax being ruined. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57c2316e15d5db588d9e0465/1578955809292-D2U1HD5S1VKSM0ZMA24B/IMG_7474.JPG Blog2 - 37. Lazer Cat These guys were the best! They stayed calm while i was panicking because all the wine bottles were blowing up and I didn’t know what to do. Anyway, they helped me scrape a lot of wax of by hand, remove all the glass closures and put corks into all the bottles. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57c2316e15d5db588d9e0465/1578957557867-Q2WI1010SO9FHLIE8U4F/IMG_7471.JPG Blog2 - 37. Lazer Cat After we put corks into all the bottles we then gave them their final pink wax. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57c2316e15d5db588d9e0465/1578955776366-HLE2MQXW36LKCJ8SISOX/IMG_7476.JPG Blog2 - 37. Lazer Cat The entire 2019 production from Alta Marfa in the back of the CRV. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57c2316e15d5db588d9e0465/1578544906765-Z32PG69JWCH5TBA59ZZL/JYGR7121.JPG Blog2 - 37. Lazer Cat Here is one of the first concept drawings I did for the label design. Our talented roommate Paulina Abella then redrew this into what ended up on the final label. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57c2316e15d5db588d9e0465/1578544935417-I407W0S42LDYI7XATA75/TRBB2169.JPG Blog2 - 37. Lazer Cat I drew the lettering myself in Microsoft Power Point. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57c2316e15d5db588d9e0465/1578955739447-AKQB9D2OYH3GN7J1Y7QH/IMG_7477.JPG Blog2 - 37. Lazer Cat https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57c2316e15d5db588d9e0465/1578955701894-0GXS1RAY7T7CRWNQ6IDS/IMG_7478.JPG Blog2 - 37. Lazer Cat https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57c2316e15d5db588d9e0465/1578544638217-GYARFNOIPBRHO668EAI6/MNIQ3506.JPG Blog2 - 37. Lazer Cat GORVERNMENT WARNING: Guess it’s official . . . https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57c2316e15d5db588d9e0465/1578954147189-H5W2HT4L5M9MM55R0KT0/IMG_7539.PNG Blog2 - 37. Lazer Cat It was very fun to see that 2 bottles of Lazer Cat made it all the way to Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57c2316e15d5db588d9e0465/1578958744973-5ADR9N76ZFNC57X36KOM/GBST3503.JPG Blog2 - 37. Lazer Cat Also, we made stickers! If you would like to have one, let me know! https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57c2316e15d5db588d9e0465/1578958632225-WW3DUXI0QZ7OU0FXRNV1/IMG_7185.JPG Blog2 - 37. Lazer Cat This is a Black-Tailed Rattlesnake that I found under the little platform that the toilet sits on. This is the first and only rattlesnake I have seen at the vineyard in what is now 4 years. That being said, I am fairly certain they are all over the place. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57c2316e15d5db588d9e0465/1578544825863-YENE0OT967ZAE2T2LFVP/WXGT2149.JPG Blog2 - 37. Lazer Cat We found this giant centipede under a pile of sticks. It was about 6-8 inches long! https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57c2316e15d5db588d9e0465/1578958555354-KTS9KZ0GKJDS3D50C56J/IMG_7225.JPG Blog2 - 37. Lazer Cat Here I am mixing together horse manure and wood chips. These two ingredients supply the nitrogen and carbon respectively, that will make good compost to help build soil in the vineyard. We left this open compost pile for a month or two before realizing we needed to make a change. Because of the wind, sun and general dryness, our compost pile was suffering heavy losses as the outer layer was constantly drying up and blowing away. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57c2316e15d5db588d9e0465/1578959064595-V9VD3CTY4I4CTQ0PC52S/IMG_7662.JPG Blog2 - 37. Lazer Cat In order to protect and nurture our compost, Promit and I built a container out of old pallets and scraps of wood from building the tent platform. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57c2316e15d5db588d9e0465/1578959135997-FJQRZUN12ZGTW4MKDOBS/IMG_7672.JPG Blog2 - 37. Lazer Cat Promit https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57c2316e15d5db588d9e0465/1578959102103-C3GGNW400PIYER7NMYHR/IMG_7667.JPG Blog2 - 37. Lazer Cat Goblin https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57c2316e15d5db588d9e0465/1579567096680-5OMETVXT7QRDKTDOAXFN/IMG_7675.JPG Blog2 - 37. Lazer Cat All closed up! In a few months we will open it up and spread the compost in the vineyard! https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57c2316e15d5db588d9e0465/1578954217338-PEAYKJ1WFPU568L5JL1H/IMG_7499.JPG Blog2 - 37. Lazer Cat We currently have a more ready supply of wood chips than we have of horse manure. I spread some the wood chips out in the vineyard to add carbon into the soil. The wood chips will break down much more slowly this way than if they were composted first in a pile, but ultimately they will go towards feeding the microbes in the soil of our vineyard. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57c2316e15d5db588d9e0465/1578954043843-TLWGWJQNBHS2WSDA9EC7/IMG_7549.JPG Blog2 - 37. Lazer Cat I made a trip out to Mason in December in order to check on our 2019 red Tempranillo. This wine is the sibling of Lazer Cat. It is made with Tempranillo grapes from the same vineyard (Robert Clay) only harvested one week after the grapes for Lazer Cat. This wine is still changing a lot, but I have high hopes for it. I moved it from its tank into this used oak barrel to continue to develop during 2020. I plan to open it mid year and see hows it’s doing. The earliest possible release for this buddy would be at the end of 2020, on the other hand, it could be at the end of 2021 as well, or it might turn to vinegar, very possible for this wine. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57c2316e15d5db588d9e0465/1578953924125-50WX9BISIMUQRS57ZIKL/IMG_7551.JPG Blog2 - 37. Lazer Cat I just like these last three pictures. This ended up being a very enjoyable day at the winery in Mason. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57c2316e15d5db588d9e0465/1578953876597-LKAHOQK5LZPPYUVTZX5F/IMG_7552.JPG Blog2 - 37. Lazer Cat https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57c2316e15d5db588d9e0465/1578953839403-T402Y19YYB9O19G4CUD6/IMG_7553.JPG Blog2 - 37. Lazer Cat http://www.altamarfa.com/blog2/2019/8/12/37-everythings-bigger-in-texas-except-the-wine-industry monthly 0.5 2019-08-14 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57c2316e15d5db588d9e0465/1565650258306-U36X74T4Y699N0W2PRC1/IMG_1801.JPG Blog2 - 36. We Made Our First Wine! https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57c2316e15d5db588d9e0465/1565650495550-Z7BZ4OYKLRWX9P68S0VO/IMG_3586.JPG Blog2 - 36. We Made Our First Wine! Dawn Harvest means burritos from Stripes! https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57c2316e15d5db588d9e0465/1565650592692-1TMQ39IS3JIG6FVV9T2U/IMG_3593.JPG Blog2 - 36. We Made Our First Wine! https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57c2316e15d5db588d9e0465/1565650465981-O9CWA9G48SL1LD006PGR/IMG_3601.JPG Blog2 - 36. We Made Our First Wine! We had a lot of green fruit when we harvested. We got a lot of strange looks from onlookers while we were crushing the fruit. Even these clusters that were almost 100% green had flavors that we wanted. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57c2316e15d5db588d9e0465/1565650231624-AY96COVRQHR4E0BXMJ8Q/IMG_1807.JPG Blog2 - 36. We Made Our First Wine! I try to do pirate stuff whenever possible https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57c2316e15d5db588d9e0465/1565650693790-3CY9QHRNATJ7SWACHLPF/XSLB3015.JPG Blog2 - 36. We Made Our First Wine! Here is Dan taking a picture of the rosé juice https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57c2316e15d5db588d9e0465/1565650278887-3PD2PPD1XAX84D7R7933/IMG_1799.JPG Blog2 - 36. We Made Our First Wine! We direct pressed the Tempranillo for the rosé whole cluster. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57c2316e15d5db588d9e0465/1565650440192-K84JF2233844SNOWXUMA/IMG_3609.JPG Blog2 - 36. We Made Our First Wine! The juice from the rosé smelled incredibly good. It looked, tasted and smelled exactly like pink lemonade. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57c2316e15d5db588d9e0465/1565650414464-R5GK2TC2Y89QXMCHWMX1/IMG_3610.JPG Blog2 - 36. We Made Our First Wine! We pressed our rosé juice into an over-sized container in order to let the juice brown. After fermentation the browning has fallen to the bottom of the wine and the resulting wine will be much less vulnerable to oxidation. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57c2316e15d5db588d9e0465/1565650390991-VZTZ2Y91T4JHOBYD8D1D/IMG_3614.JPG Blog2 - 36. We Made Our First Wine! Our 29 gallons of Tempranillo rosé https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57c2316e15d5db588d9e0465/1565650194706-LSH4PVHYVJDM8XSYA28B/IMG_6890.JPG Blog2 - 36. We Made Our First Wine! Paulina and Niccole came out with us from Houston and helped stomp the red Tempranillo. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57c2316e15d5db588d9e0465/1565650162315-HZCAY8MU8YB4Q7JJI5C2/MWZK3461.JPG Blog2 - 36. We Made Our First Wine! This Scarab beetle met its glorious end in our red Tempranillo fermentation https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57c2316e15d5db588d9e0465/1565650126908-1C4JZ8E43ZSCL1E1FSWA/IMG_6939.JPG Blog2 - 36. We Made Our First Wine! My baby truck with 900+ lbs of still fermenting Tempranillo in the back https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57c2316e15d5db588d9e0465/1565650312665-BG88J9J8FO3W3CLFNJ0K/IMG_1789.JPG Blog2 - 36. We Made Our First Wine! Winemaking https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57c2316e15d5db588d9e0465/1565650366935-9DJLM3MXK04KISJJTYEF/IMG_1779.JPG Blog2 - 36. We Made Our First Wine! Life is pretty nice at Robert Clay Vineyards http://www.altamarfa.com/blog2/2019/6/9/35-the-vines-are-growing-it-worked monthly 0.5 2019-06-28 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57c2316e15d5db588d9e0465/1561504498288-O1WNMET9XPSBKRPYRSGZ/IMG_6791.JPG Blog2 - 35. The Vines are Growing (It Worked!) Naomi, Promit, Michelle and I arrived at the Midland airport to drive together to the vineyard for the second weekend of planting. For a few months prior we had been keeping an old Chevy Tahoe parked at the airport to drive back and forth from the vineyard rather than renting cars, which we had done previously. On this particular occasion Promit walked out to grab the car while we waited for our luggage only to find that someone had broken into the car and tried to hot-wire it. The failed at stealing the car but succeeding in disabling it by ripping all the wires out of the steering column. I believe we rented the last car available in the midland airport and made it out to the vineyard that night for planting the next morning. This photo is of Katie and Promit rewiring the car last week. Luckily Promit is a car Wizard. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57c2316e15d5db588d9e0465/1561501663018-PIMFV9I8BW4VVBGNG87A/IMG_6785.JPG Blog2 - 35. The Vines are Growing (It Worked!) Facing South https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57c2316e15d5db588d9e0465/1561501701434-0XD80XL0GY3AJHWSK99F/IMG_6786.JPG Blog2 - 35. The Vines are Growing (It Worked!) Facing West https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57c2316e15d5db588d9e0465/1560289905455-ILUQC30N18B9KLZUANZF/A76.JPG Blog2 - 35. The Vines are Growing (It Worked!) https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57c2316e15d5db588d9e0465/1561501460127-3CKH8IHWAX80SLWRHGXZ/IMG_6827.JPG Blog2 - 35. The Vines are Growing (It Worked!) https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57c2316e15d5db588d9e0465/1561501460253-U70KRN9I670ZUQ8S6RRC/IMG_6828.JPG Blog2 - 35. The Vines are Growing (It Worked!) https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57c2316e15d5db588d9e0465/1561501466453-C2FL79G9A2PW4DQ7TI9M/IMG_6826.JPG Blog2 - 35. The Vines are Growing (It Worked!) https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57c2316e15d5db588d9e0465/1561501465924-M8ALCUZ2Z1DUZKQYIU24/IMG_6825.JPG Blog2 - 35. The Vines are Growing (It Worked!) https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57c2316e15d5db588d9e0465/1561501481712-MGM7FM47ND05GDOK85ZI/IMG_6822.JPG Blog2 - 35. The Vines are Growing (It Worked!) https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57c2316e15d5db588d9e0465/1561501479888-D4BDTMXBWRVQG9GR0EB0/IMG_6820.JPG Blog2 - 35. The Vines are Growing (It Worked!) https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57c2316e15d5db588d9e0465/1561501490814-BD5L48QXOM2PTZSABD51/IMG_6819.JPG Blog2 - 35. The Vines are Growing (It Worked!) https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57c2316e15d5db588d9e0465/1561501497915-98STXFPZBP112CMWT8JS/IMG_6818.JPG Blog2 - 35. The Vines are Growing (It Worked!) https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57c2316e15d5db588d9e0465/1561501504805-2BMGYGO34B60D55SUSEG/IMG_6817.JPG Blog2 - 35. The Vines are Growing (It Worked!) https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57c2316e15d5db588d9e0465/1561501508078-0OLPYT94P0MC8STLKRA4/IMG_6815.JPG Blog2 - 35. The Vines are Growing (It Worked!) https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57c2316e15d5db588d9e0465/1561501516525-HYIUGXZF8HORJ6F16BEC/IMG_6816.JPG Blog2 - 35. The Vines are Growing (It Worked!) https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57c2316e15d5db588d9e0465/1561501518147-7XD20IFAG6VP2Z1FAPW9/IMG_6814.JPG Blog2 - 35. The Vines are Growing (It Worked!) https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57c2316e15d5db588d9e0465/1561501523087-9THZK49DIB7QTFZ6S1GS/IMG_6813.JPG Blog2 - 35. The Vines are Growing (It Worked!) https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57c2316e15d5db588d9e0465/1560140364519-36TYHEQKK7S3A94ND1OV/A11.JPG Blog2 - 35. The Vines are Growing (It Worked!) Going into planting the second time around we felt so much more confident and prepared than we had in 2018. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57c2316e15d5db588d9e0465/1560125715560-TJLHHBMM56V5N9CHCUSX/A68.JPG Blog2 - 35. The Vines are Growing (It Worked!) The few vines planted in 2018 and now in their second year grew quite vigorously this spring. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57c2316e15d5db588d9e0465/1560126437305-GGE14VJ1HTA7A7ABAUI4/A80.JPG Blog2 - 35. The Vines are Growing (It Worked!) I like to refer to this area of the vineyard as “the garden” because it has very short rows. This was also the area with the highest success rate during the 2018 planting. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57c2316e15d5db588d9e0465/1560124589951-JEDFPHVJWKOAI1IK49CV/A53.JPG Blog2 - 35. The Vines are Growing (It Worked!) This May and June has seen more rain than any in recent memory according to the neighbors, some of whom have lived here for decades. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57c2316e15d5db588d9e0465/1560125530647-BLEOK4QL2RBGRVB2WUWS/A67.JPG Blog2 - 35. The Vines are Growing (It Worked!) We watched several of the big storms approach from a long way off. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57c2316e15d5db588d9e0465/1560125161800-7GAN2N10ZKU1LUVDYVPR/A24.JPEG Blog2 - 35. The Vines are Growing (It Worked!) Unfortunately one storm brought violent hail two days in a row. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57c2316e15d5db588d9e0465/1560125121612-L747MP7ZYO4UTG2SV0VB/A23.JPEG Blog2 - 35. The Vines are Growing (It Worked!) https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57c2316e15d5db588d9e0465/1560124831524-DY7D0UDGN58SPL50YUYX/A60.JPG Blog2 - 35. The Vines are Growing (It Worked!) All of the newly planted vines made it through the hail unscathed because they were too small to be affected. The 2018 vines however, were much bigger and got absolutely shredded. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57c2316e15d5db588d9e0465/1560124890431-S8VUB1XSKLFQHYW90OOU/A61.JPG Blog2 - 35. The Vines are Growing (It Worked!) I had just trimmed these 2nd year vines down to a single shoot to start to establish a trunk, then the hail came. After the hail damage, all of these 2nd year vines had to be trimmed down to the stump. They will survive and well will try again to establish trunks next year along with all the vines we planted this year. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57c2316e15d5db588d9e0465/1560124791542-W38HI83GNVB4XWQKRHBC/A59.JPG Blog2 - 35. The Vines are Growing (It Worked!) This is an example of very bad hail damage. I plan to look into netting to protect the vines from hail for the future. Potentially the same netting could be used to protect the ripening fruit from birds. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57c2316e15d5db588d9e0465/1561501992514-YBB61RZQUVELVIRP3PKI/IMG_6782.JPG Blog2 - 35. The Vines are Growing (It Worked!) We planted 5 vines outside the deer fence on the extremely steep hillside above the currently planted vineyard with no irrigation. So far these dry-farmed vines are looking really good. We are 5 for 5 so far. We will see how these do and hopefully we can plant an additional vineyard block up on this steep hillside that will be dry-farmed from day one. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57c2316e15d5db588d9e0465/1560125053652-R6FB6331YV8VCR1H6EAL/A2.JPG Blog2 - 35. The Vines are Growing (It Worked!) One of the five dry-farmed vines. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57c2316e15d5db588d9e0465/1560124617083-Y6EU7QS5CG5Y470WWZPW/A54.JPG Blog2 - 35. The Vines are Growing (It Worked!) https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57c2316e15d5db588d9e0465/1560124645618-M7T8MXL5UTEENLYF05NU/A55.JPG Blog2 - 35. The Vines are Growing (It Worked!) A Texas Toad https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57c2316e15d5db588d9e0465/1560124687562-ZHYHCE833KPPNUZ6PMI7/A56.JPG Blog2 - 35. The Vines are Growing (It Worked!) The toad came right out of this crack in the ground after the rain. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57c2316e15d5db588d9e0465/1560125077302-K4GVYSNOYCZS5HO6WNUT/A21.JPG Blog2 - 35. The Vines are Growing (It Worked!) A cool stick bug! https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57c2316e15d5db588d9e0465/1560125902515-00TWPCJF2S80JR64EU3C/A70.JPG Blog2 - 35. The Vines are Growing (It Worked!) I have been finding a ton of lady bugs in the vineyard lately. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57c2316e15d5db588d9e0465/1560291082698-T4IXR2YMQBFVKKO6EAKO/A104.jpg Blog2 - 35. The Vines are Growing (It Worked!) This spider was somewhat unhappy when we tried to plant a vine in the hole it was living in. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57c2316e15d5db588d9e0465/1560140209974-JB2473FLD9A17DSSAZT2/A4.JPG Blog2 - 35. The Vines are Growing (It Worked!) A Western Ground Snake. This little snake was tiny! About 4 inches long and about a centimeter wide. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57c2316e15d5db588d9e0465/1560289979363-48X5IC1NFKE6ZHIET6KD/A77.JPG Blog2 - 35. The Vines are Growing (It Worked!) Pretty moth https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57c2316e15d5db588d9e0465/1560140237718-XDME99K2Z6GL2KVKZGTM/A5.JPG Blog2 - 35. The Vines are Growing (It Worked!) Some of the vines we got this year had massive roots! https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57c2316e15d5db588d9e0465/1560124757901-RPNPYTB44O4S2VJE2OAI/A58.JPG Blog2 - 35. The Vines are Growing (It Worked!) Two vines got planted in this hole somehow. . . https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57c2316e15d5db588d9e0465/1560140264009-UX9ALB0JCZTLDF7NAJ4J/A7.JPG Blog2 - 35. The Vines are Growing (It Worked!) First weekend planters! https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57c2316e15d5db588d9e0465/1560140288476-LZKEDG29QUTSD0WS4CL1/A8.JPG Blog2 - 35. The Vines are Growing (It Worked!) https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57c2316e15d5db588d9e0465/1560140315702-H8RD2HG1X6L4ZGBC7B6L/A9.JPG Blog2 - 35. The Vines are Growing (It Worked!) https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57c2316e15d5db588d9e0465/1560140527998-UKSJD7INPGDNGP2ZRQYY/A17.JPG Blog2 - 35. The Vines are Growing (It Worked!) Thanks to Feges BBQ in Houston for sending us a huge cooler full of delicious food for all the planters third weekend! https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57c2316e15d5db588d9e0465/1560140636184-ZOXF6T1HLTZ5SBLK8ZAB/A20.JPG Blog2 - 35. The Vines are Growing (It Worked!) These pictures are pretty cool https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57c2316e15d5db588d9e0465/1560289875109-H9BRZM71UT3NY0DE4APS/A75.JPG Blog2 - 35. The Vines are Growing (It Worked!) https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57c2316e15d5db588d9e0465/1560290295437-D5FXDNWDVIY9R2VAOZHA/A96.jpg Blog2 - 35. The Vines are Growing (It Worked!) This year we used an inflatable swimming pool to keep the vines nice and moist. We took each shipment of vines directly from the truck and put them strait in water until it was time for them to go into the ground. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57c2316e15d5db588d9e0465/1560140475832-7B5RZ38YKO033D26CLZQ/A15.JPG Blog2 - 35. The Vines are Growing (It Worked!) https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57c2316e15d5db588d9e0465/1560290067800-XN9P3D8SNS3VNTGP898H/A90.jpg Blog2 - 35. The Vines are Growing (It Worked!) ROOTS! https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57c2316e15d5db588d9e0465/1560290128258-8W7V525ZDP4UJ4ZBCDZJ/A92.jpg Blog2 - 35. The Vines are Growing (It Worked!) Golden hour. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57c2316e15d5db588d9e0465/1560290163416-6JXYT8A5MDTVLT9W09WK/A93.jpg Blog2 - 35. The Vines are Growing (It Worked!) First weekend crew hiking up to the lookout spot and sunset. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57c2316e15d5db588d9e0465/1560290191524-FJ6SPG28IW1LSXI5H0ZQ/A94.jpg Blog2 - 35. The Vines are Growing (It Worked!) First weekend Crew Enjoying the view! https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57c2316e15d5db588d9e0465/1560290215898-Q3UMJDLDWNLMJKSQTDR1/A95.jpg Blog2 - 35. The Vines are Growing (It Worked!) Lydia, Tom and Django, first weekend. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57c2316e15d5db588d9e0465/1560290746318-N2IR22IHZRKB6SB4Q44L/A97.jpg Blog2 - 35. The Vines are Growing (It Worked!) Jim the shovel master. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57c2316e15d5db588d9e0465/1560290780533-F0NC7W1KYZWA6MX5WWCW/A98.jpg Blog2 - 35. The Vines are Growing (It Worked!) Karla, Jean and Hatsy folding vine protectors. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57c2316e15d5db588d9e0465/1560290843157-XWBO1APUFBG0QEFI7JBQ/A100.jpg Blog2 - 35. The Vines are Growing (It Worked!) Katie filling up the dirt bucket to bring dirt to the rocky area at the top of the hill. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57c2316e15d5db588d9e0465/1560291154590-3A72J7NTAS6ACR5EXB8U/A106.jpg Blog2 - 35. The Vines are Growing (It Worked!) This was during first weekend of planting when all of the experimental varieties (everything other than cabernet sauvignon) was planted. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57c2316e15d5db588d9e0465/1560291051876-UC4PRVN0L15QIJ0U4WBR/A103.jpg Blog2 - 35. The Vines are Growing (It Worked!) Here is Promit carrying a bucket of dirt up the hill to the rockiest part of the vineyard. A lot of the holes did not have enough soil to cover the vine roots adequately, so we brought additional dirt in buckets from the bottom of the hill. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57c2316e15d5db588d9e0465/1560290925842-VUCUVNML4OYMWR2UG4HJ/A101.jpg Blog2 - 35. The Vines are Growing (It Worked!) Lulu is not exactly a hard worker. . . https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57c2316e15d5db588d9e0465/1560290102242-QCE92E4KAM9SDYIXZW3G/A91.jpg Blog2 - 35. The Vines are Growing (It Worked!) The upper part of the vineyard is so rocky that we resorted to using a rock bar to smash apart the rocks in order create holes deep enough to put the vines in. Here is my dad wielding the rock bar! https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57c2316e15d5db588d9e0465/1560290812586-VYGSWDNLZW6847FNX0HP/A99.jpg Blog2 - 35. The Vines are Growing (It Worked!) Katie did a great job at keeping track of where we planted each of the 20 or so different varieties. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57c2316e15d5db588d9e0465/1560140337646-TV4BDZO49OGVTM4F3P9T/A10.JPG Blog2 - 35. The Vines are Growing (It Worked!) First Weekend Crew! Karla: Ricky's Grandmother, California, Jean: California, Ken: Ricky's Dad, California, Promit: Houston, Nancy: Houston, Jamie: New York, Kristen: Katie's Mom, Colorado, Jim: Katie's Dad, Colorado, Harriet: Katie's Aunt, Massachusetts, Kristen: Katie's Cousin, Chicago, Tom: California, Lydia: California, Tristan: Houston, Travis: Houston, Justin: Houston, Matt: Houston, Heber: Houston, Jake: Texas https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57c2316e15d5db588d9e0465/1560140504626-W1O69RWTNT7UEATW080B/A16.JPG Blog2 - 35. The Vines are Growing (It Worked!) Second Weekend Crew! Paulina: Houston, Forrest: Houston, Maira: Houston, Michael: Houston, Promit: Houston, Rob: Detroit, Will: Denver, Leah: Denver, Cody: Houston, JZ: California https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57c2316e15d5db588d9e0465/1560126375297-050FSZCV5QGYIE2M081J/A73.JPG Blog2 - 35. The Vines are Growing (It Worked!) The 4th weekend crew! Promit: Houston, Jody: California, Mike: California, Neal: Texas, Paul: Guatemala, Inko: Germany George: Ricky’s brother, California, Eilis: Italy, Jesse: New York, Rylie: New York Ashley: Special thanks to Ashely for bring the vineyard crew from the neighboring vineyard to come help at the 11th hour! https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57c2316e15d5db588d9e0465/1561502638006-4CS03OYYGCB3PNE5F6KP/IMG_6829.JPG Blog2 - 35. The Vines are Growing (It Worked!) https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57c2316e15d5db588d9e0465/1561502629181-UI1WB5G2PEX59PMGAXMJ/IMG_6810.JPG Blog2 - 35. The Vines are Growing (It Worked!) https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57c2316e15d5db588d9e0465/1561502598983-CQKVZZCX7F8LJJU948ML/IMG_6803.JPG Blog2 - 35. The Vines are Growing (It Worked!) https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57c2316e15d5db588d9e0465/1561502621855-UZGX58JE0TXIDMC7ZXU8/IMG_6807.JPG Blog2 - 35. The Vines are Growing (It Worked!) https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57c2316e15d5db588d9e0465/1561502613383-KV6U3LCYJ0RK47G2C6Z1/IMG_6805.JPG Blog2 - 35. The Vines are Growing (It Worked!) https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57c2316e15d5db588d9e0465/1561502637278-1KXKH2ID8SD26WPAKL4U/IMG_6811.JPG Blog2 - 35. The Vines are Growing (It Worked!) https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57c2316e15d5db588d9e0465/1561502644608-7WMSM5CL3TKRU0ADGWHC/IMG_6830.JPG Blog2 - 35. The Vines are Growing (It Worked!) https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57c2316e15d5db588d9e0465/1561502643315-VZ5MDY0VRIXD5VL3RVFZ/IMG_6833.JPG Blog2 - 35. The Vines are Growing (It Worked!) https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57c2316e15d5db588d9e0465/1561502648032-TB1P3KPTYSWAKJEQHWYY/IMG_6831.JPG Blog2 - 35. The Vines are Growing (It Worked!) https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57c2316e15d5db588d9e0465/1560124500995-1N0XU58FFTU1VYINXPP1/A50.JPG Blog2 - 35. The Vines are Growing (It Worked!) Katie and I got married just a few weeks after we finished planting! We had a lot to celebrate! https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57c2316e15d5db588d9e0465/1560124559617-QZAFSR13O431M3OZMOPK/A52.JPG Blog2 - 35. The Vines are Growing (It Worked!) http://www.altamarfa.com/blog2/2019/3/12/34-otra-vez monthly 0.5 2019-03-26 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57c2316e15d5db588d9e0465/1553617007129-O0QMZ10JH48V1C03KK8M/vine.jpg Blog2 - 34. Planting Time is Here! 2019 Edition! A few of the vines we planted last year have started to come out for spring! https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57c2316e15d5db588d9e0465/1552444510221-Z646FX4WMWYPG1EH37Z0/IMG_5945.JPG Blog2 - 34. Planting Time is Here! 2019 Edition! We had 12 pallets of hardwood stakes, each pallet weighing 1,800 lbs. Thats a LOT of stakes. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57c2316e15d5db588d9e0465/1552452795676-ZO10Z5YZO2D4QA7Q2DR1/IMG_6061.JPG Blog2 - 34. Planting Time is Here! 2019 Edition! Putting stakes into the steeper part of the hillside is particularly challenging because of how rocky it is. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57c2316e15d5db588d9e0465/1552444478544-6ZEH4BI36W9DVH038TLN/IMG_5963.JPG Blog2 - 34. Planting Time is Here! 2019 Edition! Katie, Melissa and I taking a break from hammering in stakes. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57c2316e15d5db588d9e0465/1552443902307-S66GTEY2CISDKWZ7PFPP/IMG_0602.JPG Blog2 - 34. Planting Time is Here! 2019 Edition! I bought a new slide hammer for driving in posts and in only about 5 minutes I got it caught on the top of a post and bashed myself on the head with it. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57c2316e15d5db588d9e0465/1552452664767-082TXIDYYBYMISJBV633/RAQS7673.JPG Blog2 - 34. Planting Time is Here! 2019 Edition! I have never felt more like a pirate than this moment. We got some heavy duty straps to make sure the tent doesn’t blow away. During the winter and spring we routinely have 30-40 mph winds. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57c2316e15d5db588d9e0465/1552444440291-8JLVQLF1M1S87Z0WKJ80/IMG_5958.JPG Blog2 - 34. Planting Time is Here! 2019 Edition! This a 70 degree day in January. We were pretty sure this snow had been sitting here in the shade for about two weeks. Alta Marfa is a strange place. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57c2316e15d5db588d9e0465/1552443813415-6A352P1SM4ZZBQJVKFM9/IMG_0607.JPG Blog2 - 34. Planting Time is Here! 2019 Edition! Walking around the five acres that will someday be vineyard #2. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57c2316e15d5db588d9e0465/1552452960585-GF7KLK5GFAAWD9U8Q471/IMG_0809.JPG Blog2 - 34. Planting Time is Here! 2019 Edition! Promit and I (mostly Promit) re-built the irrigation manifold which was super leaky all of last season. Now no leaks at all! https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57c2316e15d5db588d9e0465/1552444252105-IWPCHQEMR1REMZFP2WQ0/IMG_5972.JPG Blog2 - 34. Planting Time is Here! 2019 Edition! This is what happens when your chimney is too short. 12/9/2018 will henceforth be remembered as the day we almost burned down the tent. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57c2316e15d5db588d9e0465/1552452722792-U0IXDK7YK7AYV6ZSSA19/IMG_0643.JPG Blog2 - 34. Planting Time is Here! 2019 Edition! Katie and I enjoying a beer hike. (It’s exactly what it sounds like) https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57c2316e15d5db588d9e0465/1552452759576-QFW7RYNN9QK2YBVMM1VY/UGVO9610.JPG Blog2 - 34. Planting Time is Here! 2019 Edition! Promit and Katie chillin on top of the hill. We found a very nice leaning rock. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57c2316e15d5db588d9e0465/1552452935667-YHP6E3YJZYXBPAZSFUNH/IMG_6040.JPG Blog2 - 34. Planting Time is Here! 2019 Edition! We found this super cool spider under a rock while gathering rocks for trail cairns. He is about an inch and a half long. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57c2316e15d5db588d9e0465/1552443666284-CMVGFXNOO4Q2LLGOQ6CF/IMG_6127.PNG Blog2 - 34. Planting Time is Here! 2019 Edition! This is why farming is difficult. Luckily all the vines were still dormant at this point. Many other parts of Texas had already experienced bud break when this cold weather came through. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57c2316e15d5db588d9e0465/1552443756459-06ZT8A4VZYK4UKE0LW2Q/IMG_6151.JPG Blog2 - 34. Planting Time is Here! 2019 Edition! Shortly after that 20 degree weather at the beginning of March we had our first bud swell ever at Alta Marfa. This is a petite manseng vine that was among the first vines that went into the ground last April. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57c2316e15d5db588d9e0465/1552444216964-UQPDYYAQTORHJWNEYN7U/IMG_0588.JPG Blog2 - 34. Planting Time is Here! 2019 Edition! Everything out here has spikes. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57c2316e15d5db588d9e0465/1552452703573-QSA24IABFEK9IBWUE11Z/IMG_0632.JPG Blog2 - 34. Planting Time is Here! 2019 Edition! This is a cool picture of me that Promit took. It has not been retouched. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57c2316e15d5db588d9e0465/1552452684017-FAT44XOXUWA2YOXJG1FY/IMG_0562.JPG Blog2 - 34. Planting Time is Here! 2019 Edition! http://www.altamarfa.com/blog2/2018/11/4/33-end-of-the-season-and-plans-for-planting monthly 0.5 2018-11-15 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57c2316e15d5db588d9e0465/1542155641701-TFZ4NUNQQVP5V6R62GY8/IMG_5586.JPG Blog2 - 33. End of the Season and Plans for Planting The leaves of grape vines change color and fall to the ground as they go into dormancy for the winter. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57c2316e15d5db588d9e0465/1542155706865-Q7PE0NROR37K0ACRCOV2/IMG_5593.JPG Blog2 - 33. End of the Season and Plans for Planting We are in the process of installing 6,000 plus untreated hardwood stakes. Each vine will have a stake for support as it grows. Mowing the grasses that have grown up in the vineyard throughout the growing season is another task we are working on currently. This mowing has several purposes. First, Because we are mowing the grass before it dies and dries out completely it will become green mulch and help build the soil as it composts. Second, the winter and spring in the Davis Mountains is extremely dry and windy, this means there is extreme danger of wildfires, by mowing we are removing potential fuel for a wildfire so that if one were to move through the vineyard it would run out of things to burn before the vines were damaged. Third, by creating a layer of green mulch on the surface of the soil we hope to prevent as much moisture as possible from evaporating out of the soil during the dry winter and spring. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57c2316e15d5db588d9e0465/1542155766644-SXUHGA14HX58FYQ8SSL6/IMG_5579.JPG Blog2 - 33. End of the Season and Plans for Planting Not the clearest picture but what we did here is attach the drip lines to the recently installed vine stakes so that we can weed whack between the vines and under the now hanging drip lines without mangling them with the weed whacker. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57c2316e15d5db588d9e0465/1542155843419-447EZ3PUI0NJNUZRAV8J/IMG_5577.JPG Blog2 - 33. End of the Season and Plans for Planting The first drip line attached to stakes! and the tent still hasn’t blown away! https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57c2316e15d5db588d9e0465/1542155918825-IGJ7UHNQEOTCJ49J9J33/IMG_5576.JPG Blog2 - 33. End of the Season and Plans for Planting My awesome neighbor, Doc Spoon, came down the hill with his little tractor and helped me fill in the ditches that the irrigation pipes are laid in. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57c2316e15d5db588d9e0465/1542156040899-2XJCCSUXPUSAFIR0WPD2/IMG_5575.JPG Blog2 - 33. End of the Season and Plans for Planting The light at Alta Marfa is magical. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57c2316e15d5db588d9e0465/1542156080999-BMBPCRYW9KUNPTHW3VPX/IMG_5573.JPG Blog2 - 33. End of the Season and Plans for Planting A few weeks ago their were infiniti of these fuzzy little guys crawling all over the vineyard. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57c2316e15d5db588d9e0465/1542156129622-YF7277158BESOD5KRY50/IMG_5565.JPG Blog2 - 33. End of the Season and Plans for Planting Seasonal transformation and fractal patterns. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57c2316e15d5db588d9e0465/1542156215012-8HQ1N0N9UVSAC99LDML5/IMG_5564.JPG Blog2 - 33. End of the Season and Plans for Planting Our pet daikon has become ridiculous, without pulling it up I would guess it is almost 3 feet long and more than 3 inches in diameter. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57c2316e15d5db588d9e0465/1542156286385-NEFZDAAUEVTAO59ZDQZ8/IMG_5501.JPG Blog2 - 33. End of the Season and Plans for Planting We got rocks…volcanic ones. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57c2316e15d5db588d9e0465/1542156325481-X3ZAJQFQYTN69OWLVIJG/IMG_5492.JPG Blog2 - 33. End of the Season and Plans for Planting I’ve learned that this is what the larval stage of a lady bug looks like, at least that’s what I’ve been told, kinda hard to believe because this looks like an alien. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57c2316e15d5db588d9e0465/1542156913893-6J9R6IV6ARJKWYBBWW76/IMG_5375.JPG Blog2 - 33. End of the Season and Plans for Planting I had never seen a flower like this before. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57c2316e15d5db588d9e0465/1542156987079-MPF5FR9R2JON1Z5FNHDP/IMG_5371.JPG Blog2 - 33. End of the Season and Plans for Planting Purple! Also, yes, that is a vine that never grew, planted in what appears to be a pile of rocks… https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57c2316e15d5db588d9e0465/1542157015931-LQE4R9YYOLC2YJIBD3QN/IMG_5362.JPG Blog2 - 33. End of the Season and Plans for Planting Stick bug friend! This guys is about 6 inches long! https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57c2316e15d5db588d9e0465/1542157085330-WNROW56ZZ338O26KUPPW/IMG_5355.JPG Blog2 - 33. End of the Season and Plans for Planting The Russian Sage that was shipped cross country in a cardboard box and then barely planted and ended up never getting watered but somehow looks pretty happy. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57c2316e15d5db588d9e0465/1542157122213-ELTNHFRNOYF0EMJSVC07/IMG_5352.JPG Blog2 - 33. End of the Season and Plans for Planting Some kind of insect egg sack. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57c2316e15d5db588d9e0465/1542157170220-S5Q3MINOW3OFUQZZSNKJ/IMG_5347.JPG Blog2 - 33. End of the Season and Plans for Planting It was looking very Shire-like under Blue Mountain a few weeks ago. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57c2316e15d5db588d9e0465/1542156507013-9T1PH007XGJCKGXQ30N8/IMG_5450.JPG Blog2 - 33. End of the Season and Plans for Planting Giant black bear prints at the Fenaughty Vineyard in the Sierra Foothills AVA. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57c2316e15d5db588d9e0465/1542156427189-7251WXQ08OEY4YKFPPYM/IMG_5453.JPG Blog2 - 33. End of the Season and Plans for Planting And racoon prints too! https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57c2316e15d5db588d9e0465/1542156551721-X2ADIH71OZJ4ELLXOSSX/IMG_5449.JPG Blog2 - 33. End of the Season and Plans for Planting In the industry these here are what we call grapes… https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57c2316e15d5db588d9e0465/1542156627633-5ZQMLSR0IRO6CXEK3H53/IMG_5445.JPG Blog2 - 33. End of the Season and Plans for Planting These vines at the Fenaghty Vineyard are huge! https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57c2316e15d5db588d9e0465/1542156727142-35GF067G1KNY0KX1HFK6/IMG_5434.JPG Blog2 - 33. End of the Season and Plans for Planting https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57c2316e15d5db588d9e0465/1542156760458-ZMOPYAMGI4FXGP24WVPR/IMG_5433.JPG Blog2 - 33. End of the Season and Plans for Planting https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57c2316e15d5db588d9e0465/1542156798168-R4QQKS65AOPC6N8CRY74/IMG_5430.JPG Blog2 - 33. End of the Season and Plans for Planting https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57c2316e15d5db588d9e0465/1542156842345-T5KE1Q4UNX4SL7UQDS9V/IMG_5426.JPG Blog2 - 33. End of the Season and Plans for Planting Standing in a big pot of Syrah! http://www.altamarfa.com/blog2/2018/8/8/32-back-in-the-game monthly 0.5 2018-08-16 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57c2316e15d5db588d9e0465/1533770009409-Y1KZ7KBFQAHHDD8WMN1K/IMG_5064.JPG Blog2 - 32. Back in the Game Taking a break to look at the flowers! https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57c2316e15d5db588d9e0465/1533770126947-PFECY5GR7QA0EUS25P5I/IMG_5056.JPG Blog2 - 32. Back in the Game Vines tied to their stakes, Blue Mountain in the background. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57c2316e15d5db588d9e0465/1533769529319-38A2E50XFG3B680CQG6N/IMG_4966.JPG Blog2 - 32. Back in the Game This Negro Amaro vine is one of the stronger ones. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57c2316e15d5db588d9e0465/1533769658174-0E9BUEFRYN5B8W2D8534/IMG_4972.JPG Blog2 - 32. Back in the Game This little guy managed to hang on to its grapes somehow. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57c2316e15d5db588d9e0465/1533769604630-U2Z8BNS1EMTIXLE4NNJD/IMG_4974.JPG Blog2 - 32. Back in the Game No longer. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57c2316e15d5db588d9e0465/1533769229017-FFPWWKCG9TXNL846KB4W/IMG_5126.JPG Blog2 - 32. Back in the Game I found this vine surrounded by cab vines, but it's definitely not cab, my guess for now is mourvedre. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57c2316e15d5db588d9e0465/1533769327461-WAZO38NXMW400A1QTNEC/IMG_5103.JPG Blog2 - 32. Back in the Game Picking up my straw bales in Balmorhea. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57c2316e15d5db588d9e0465/1533769285948-8UYFQ7BGAH7LTBUKXO0P/IMG_5104.JPG Blog2 - 32. Back in the Game Driving around Marfa with a truck full for straw. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57c2316e15d5db588d9e0465/1533769373047-SIRSW6KBU9P8V6ZMRD0H/IMG_5106.JPG Blog2 - 32. Back in the Game Laying out the bales before spreading out the straw. As you can see the grasses in this area of the vineyard are very sparse and you can see a lot of bare soil. You can also see from the white vine protectors that there aren't many surviving vines in this area of the vineyard. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57c2316e15d5db588d9e0465/1533769426722-82OE0WIWXLXZ3HX97ITO/IMG_5087.JPG Blog2 - 32. Back in the Game Daikon Radish! We are experimenting with planting daikon in the vineyard, as it grows it splits open the top soil and then when the plant dies in the winter the root decomposes and leaves a fissure in the soil that rain water can drain into. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57c2316e15d5db588d9e0465/1533769471763-2Y7DRIZE74JVGSUZ7TMR/IMG_5085.JPG Blog2 - 32. Back in the Game I think this is a yellow saltmarsh caterpillar. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57c2316e15d5db588d9e0465/1533769753701-GMZ54T24K6YD7QGQZANM/IMG_4997.JPG Blog2 - 32. Back in the Game This is an example of a vine where the scion (the fruiting part of the vine that is grafted on top of the root stock) did not survive but the root stock is growing. I tried transplanting a few vines from one corner of the vineyard where none of the vines around them survived, to a more convenient location near other survivors. All of the vines ended up surviving, though it seemed very traumatic. I decided not to try and transplant any more, instead I decided to try a different experiment of ceasing irrigation one some of the more isolated vines. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57c2316e15d5db588d9e0465/1533769841004-FO8DCNIZH6MZLC12IB65/IMG_5043.JPG Blog2 - 32. Back in the Game We found this tomato plant growing in the ditch. I can only assume it it grew from a seed that dropped from someone's sandwich. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57c2316e15d5db588d9e0465/1533770594663-UCH8R7BTU1QIS7WMD53L/IMG_4983.JPG Blog2 - 32. Back in the Game We weed-wacked the entire vineyard area before planting. The result has been tons and tons of flowers like this sprouting up throughout the vineyard. http://www.altamarfa.com/blog2/2018/6/19/31-patience-part-ii monthly 0.5 2018-08-08 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57c2316e15d5db588d9e0465/1529460628869-L7HI8KVCDLUO54NVY6JC/IMG_4743.JPG Blog2 - 31. Patience (Part II) https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57c2316e15d5db588d9e0465/1529460738545-57Z9ERMQX17YKHEWSU4E/IMG_4635.JPG Blog2 - 31. Patience (Part II) My first time back, three weeks after we finished planting, I arrived past 4am and stumbled around with a flashlight, holding my breath and desperately looking for some green leaves. This was the first live vine that I found. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57c2316e15d5db588d9e0465/1529460920203-2B7TZ2XXLC8MPWWOOIHI/IMG_4720.JPG Blog2 - 31. Patience (Part II) A patch of vines with a relatively high survival rate. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57c2316e15d5db588d9e0465/1529460348843-XQELQ6RNXP4NPRFLCTL8/IMG_4765.JPG Blog2 - 31. Patience (Part II) My favorite color is this one. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57c2316e15d5db588d9e0465/1529460973894-XI862SOXULCVP12P4ZR0/IMG_4725.JPG Blog2 - 31. Patience (Part II) This small area of the vineyard are the vines that we planted first. This area of the vineyard that contains all of our 12 experimental varieties. They are also the only vines we used these cardboard vine protectors for (we abandoned them for the rest of the vines after quickly realizing that we wouldn't have time to use them if we wanted to get all the vines in the ground). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57c2316e15d5db588d9e0465/1529460823915-VVWXFR0IX5D2A5YX8W8G/IMG_4730.JPG Blog2 - 31. Patience (Part II) Despite many of his clones not making it, this little guy seems to be living his best life. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57c2316e15d5db588d9e0465/1529460786540-GK7J2908FWF0UFJHJU8V/IMG_4715.JPG Blog2 - 31. Patience (Part II) This little guy's just enjoying the breeze. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57c2316e15d5db588d9e0465/1529460689503-STK2CG50AGTS8XK31ODW/IMG_4702.JPG Blog2 - 31. Patience (Part II) Yet to open flowers on one of the vines https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57c2316e15d5db588d9e0465/1529460297256-G6VL7DBFTR9NK9BPBQ42/IMG_4769.JPG Blog2 - 31. Patience (Part II) First Harvest! Some of the vines that did make it are getting a little ahead of themselves. I pinch of any little grapes like this so that the vine can focus its energies on growing roots and leaves. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57c2316e15d5db588d9e0465/1529460872506-MC7NPIUJW8AYUK9Q8NA3/IMG_4729.JPG Blog2 - 31. Patience (Part II) Trying to sleep in a tent in a crazy lighting storm is . . . challenging https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57c2316e15d5db588d9e0465/1529460589778-9F5GT7EK92DXHCBS6AG8/IMG_4747.JPG Blog2 - 31. Patience (Part II) A giant ocean wave about to crash on the shores of Alta Marfa https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57c2316e15d5db588d9e0465/1529460558070-QSCHF87KJJSJERGUNPO4/IMG_4752.JPG Blog2 - 31. Patience (Part II) https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57c2316e15d5db588d9e0465/1529460525950-DE8VIBCKOB7IZLHHWWSH/IMG_4753.JPG Blog2 - 31. Patience (Part II) https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57c2316e15d5db588d9e0465/1529460487250-138Y8KSB007P39R1WEQN/IMG_4757.JPG Blog2 - 31. Patience (Part II) Even this much rain isn't going to help most of these little guys. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57c2316e15d5db588d9e0465/1529460257609-95ZFW8R0VRS3S3HJSME0/IMG_4775.JPG Blog2 - 31. Patience (Part II) Fern in the desert https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57c2316e15d5db588d9e0465/1529460175410-0PNPIKQJGL1XBYA02H7Q/IMG_4776.JPG Blog2 - 31. Patience (Part II) No idea where this guy came from. The Davis Mountains are full of surprises. Seems like a sign of a healthy ecosystem. http://www.altamarfa.com/our-vineyards daily 0.75 2022-12-09 http://www.altamarfa.com/our-vineyards/2022/11/1/living-water-vineyard monthly 0.5 2023-05-15 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57c2316e15d5db588d9e0465/1667341522582-BSD3K0MIAJL9UUJO80GN/living+water+vineyard+.jpg Growers List - Living Water Vineyard https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57c2316e15d5db588d9e0465/1667341519334-1N6O76GVM6IHAFPBSQVK/living+water+2.jpg Growers List - Living Water Vineyard http://www.altamarfa.com/our-vineyards/2022/3/27/high-cross-vineyard monthly 0.5 2022-11-01 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57c2316e15d5db588d9e0465/1667342248053-LUXGNQFFUHCZYQHEMBLX/High+Cross+Vineyard+.jpg Growers List - High Cross Vineyard https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57c2316e15d5db588d9e0465/1667342269781-QUTQ4EAZ0R6G9YVZ0A4R/high+cross+vineyard+2.jpg Growers List - High Cross Vineyard http://www.altamarfa.com/our-vineyards/2022/3/27/crooked-post-vineyard monthly 0.5 2022-03-30 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57c2316e15d5db588d9e0465/986d3039-2e46-41de-b256-44c0e511b655/crooked+post.png Growers List - Crooked Post Vineyard - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. http://www.altamarfa.com/our-vineyards/2022/3/27/kubacak-vineyards monthly 0.5 2022-03-30 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57c2316e15d5db588d9e0465/e7efcefb-2be9-4320-a869-fe8e2da8403b/kubacak+vineyards.png Growers List - Kubacak Vineyards - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. http://www.altamarfa.com/our-vineyards/2022/3/27/good-vibes-vineyard monthly 0.5 2022-03-30 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57c2316e15d5db588d9e0465/1e726aab-7bee-408a-899c-d344523bdd33/good+vibes+vineyard.png Growers List - Good Vibes Vineyard - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. http://www.altamarfa.com/our-vineyards/2022/3/27/forbidden-desert-vineyard monthly 0.5 2022-11-01 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57c2316e15d5db588d9e0465/f8c91045-7325-4cf7-8038-bdb31ce976ee/forbidden+desert.png Growers List - Forbidden Desert Vineyard - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. http://www.altamarfa.com/our-vineyards/2022/3/27/robert-clay-vineyards monthly 0.5 2022-11-01 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57c2316e15d5db588d9e0465/61891293-4383-43f6-828b-fc80f2d46826/rcv+ducks+2.png Growers List - Robert Clay Vineyards - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. http://www.altamarfa.com/our-vineyards/2022/3/27/cz7ys7p6ktue31tavfnwrii9aig8ao monthly 0.5 2022-03-30 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57c2316e15d5db588d9e0465/48b191d6-d32d-444a-8348-6dac57189d4c/am+vineyard+stakes.JPG Growers List - Alta Marfa Vineyard at Blue Mountain Trail - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. http://www.altamarfa.com/our-vineyards/2022/3/27/alta-marfa-grand-prix-vineyard monthly 0.5 2022-03-30 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57c2316e15d5db588d9e0465/9633d1ee-bb12-4a10-a90a-271d917179f8/Grand+Prix.jpeg Growers List - Alta Marfa Grand Prix Vineyard - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. http://www.altamarfa.com/our-vineyards/2022/3/27/blue-mountain-trail-vineyard monthly 0.5 2022-11-01 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57c2316e15d5db588d9e0465/1667342114288-42DG9L6BWGFGDXOE4NY6/blue+mountain+trail+vineyard.png Growers List - Blue Mountain Trail Vineyard https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57c2316e15d5db588d9e0465/1667342118178-97XBHAMVVJN8LAD5WU1A/blue+mtn+chateau+wright+.jpg Growers List - Blue Mountain Trail Vineyard http://www.altamarfa.com/home daily 1.0 2022-04-20 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57c2316e15d5db588d9e0465/1647547378535-C0IY6DXZ1M94CIYN53M5/grapes.png Home https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57c2316e15d5db588d9e0465/1647547374440-3I304X06EKPM32JPGOFB/Screen+Shot+2022-02-15+at+2.28.41+PM.png Home https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57c2316e15d5db588d9e0465/1647547386426-2K7MUHIKSHDWGCXUWJ3E/Screen+Shot+2022-02-15+at+2.29.23+PM.png Home https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57c2316e15d5db588d9e0465/1647547390245-MFMW7BXLJGLAH8UNM23J/Screen+Shot+2022-02-15+at+2.29.57+PM.png Home http://www.altamarfa.com/science daily 0.75 2022-02-13 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57c2316e15d5db588d9e0465/bdedd79d-1199-4f56-a577-4b9563085e28/IMG_0711.JPG Weather & Soil Data - 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