Our vineyard is on a ridgetop in the Mount Veeder District of Napa Valley* and is significantly cooler than the vineyards that we overlook on the Napa Valley floor. Our 1,300 foot elevation contributes to our cool summer temperatures, as does our proximity to San Francisco Bay. The Mount Veeder District lies right next to Carneros. Mount Veeder is the closest mountain appellation to the San Francisco Bay and benefits from the cooling influence of the marine air.
		The shallow, well-drained soil in our vineyard restricts the growth of the vines and produces very small berries with intense color and flavor. We further limit production by removing shoots and clusters to keep the vines in balance with their environment. The vineyard faces east, so it gets most of its sunshine in the cool morning hours. Except for the summer days when we are shrouded in fog, we have seen almost every sunrise since we moved here in 1986. Our magnificent morning view is the theme for our label.
	We planted the vineyard ourselves and have taken immense pleasure in watching the vines develop and produce such wonderful fruit. When we first saw the land in 1985, it looked like a great site for winegrapes, but it was only after years of work that we could really know. When we finally tasted the results of our efforts, we realized that our 1985 decision to buy this land was indeed a good one.
		The vineyard occupies only a small part of our property. The rest remains in its natural state—a rich and complex forest composed of redwoods, Douglas fir, madrone, black oak, big leaf maple and bay laurel (and the ubiquitous poison oak). We share the land with deer, raccoons, foxes, skunks, bobcats, squirrels, coyotes and the occasional mountain lion. We capture and deport the rattlesnakes that we regularly encounter near the house. (We did kill and eat one once. It really does taste like chicken. Chicken with a lot of bones.)
	Our most troublesome vineyard pest: The Glossy-Furred Post Sitter (GFPS)
		*How can a mountain be part of a valley, you ask? Our vineyard is obviously not in the valley, but the legal definition of Napa Valley includes all the surrounding mountain districts as well.