Winter pruning is the most consequential work we do. When the vines are dormant and the vineyard is still, we make thousands of decisions that will shape the coming vintage—and the vintages after that.
The principle is simple: fewer buds mean fewer clusters, and fewer clusters mean greater concentration in those that remain. But the execution is anything but simple. Each vine is different. Each cane tells a story about last season's vigor, the vine's overall health, and its potential for the year ahead.
We approach this work with deliberation. No mechanical harvesting, no formula applied uniformly across the block. Instead, we stand before each vine and ask: What does this plant need? What is it capable of? How do we help it express its best?
The answers come from experience, from observation, and from a willingness to be patient. A vine that was stressed last year might need fewer buds to recover. A vigorous vine might be pushed a little harder. The conversation between farmer and plant happens one cut at a time.
By the time the spring growth begins, our work is already embedded in the structure of the vine. The quality of the harvest is, in many ways, predetermined. Winter pruning is where we earn—or forfeit—the right to excellence.