Happy Halloween! And praise the rain on the pumpkins: we’ll take it as Mother Nature’s very best treat. We’re on the cusp of November, which means we’re into the home stretch of the year. The vineyard began turning beautiful fall colors early in October, and the rains are giving the vines a much-needed drink after …
Many of you are asking about the impact of the #LomaFire on the wineries up here in the Summit area. Thankfully, our Summit wineries have had little or no impact: we at Burrell School are fine. Our neighbors at Loma Prieta Winery have had a scarily close bird’s eye view of the fire since it …
Summer accelerates into full swing as we head into August, the month of full veraison, pushed along by the intense stretch of heat we had the third week of July. Now is the time when the grapes flesh out, when Chardonnay becomes golden and the reds take on their darker hues. Thankfully, temperatures have moderated …
July is here and the heat is most definitely on. Our vines are directing their energy towards the ripening of the grape clusters – and the crop looks quite robust and healthy. Individual grape berries are plumping up rapidly, and the red varieties will soon take on color, aka veraison, where they will go from …
Join us in May as we celebrate wine and roses all month long. Anne’s heritage rose garden is bursting with fragrant blossoms in a myriad of colors, and the vines will be fully in bloom. The gazebo garden will be open on weekends throughout the merry month of May. Don’t miss this opportunity to stop …
Welcome to April, the month of exuberant spring growth in the vineyards, fields and everywhere you look. We’re celebrating Earth Day all month long here at the schoolhouse, where the vineyard floor is lush and green and filled with wildflowers, the vines are literally exploding with new shoots and the appearance of clusters. Flowering and …
LEAP DAY! We’re reveling in the gift of one extra day this year, as we celebrate Leap Day, February 29, 2016! Perhaps we’ll open a special bottle of wine from our library stash: or, enjoy some of that amazing new 2013 High School Sweethearts, a compelling blend of Merlot and Cabernet Franc that has everyone …
On the heels of the holiday hangovers of January, comes February, packed with fun events for sports fans, romantics and patriots. In all the excitement of the Super Bowl, don’t forget your Sweetheart on Valentine’s Day! Plus, it’s a Leap Year, so there’s one extra day in February to cheer on Mother Nature and whatever …
Welcome to 2016, a new year filled with great promise and opportunity – and hopefully, lots of precipitation in every form needed to refill our depleted reservoirs across the state. From our family to yours, we extend our heartfelt wishes for a year of health, happiness and abundance. We’re thankful that Mother Nature is already …
Happy Halloween and Welcome Daylight Savings Time! Like it or not, we’re into the home stretch of the year, when the leaves in the vineyard begin donning their deeply burnished autumn hues and short days lead to early, often fiery sunsets that match beautifully with Burrell School Cabernet Franc, with its lovely reddish glow. We …
It’s “Back to School” month here at the big red schoolhouse and the vinous students are already showing up for class. First to arrive, and quite early, were Pinot Noir 667 and Pinot Noir 05, on August 19, the earliest matriculation ever. A small cropload, due to the drought and the very protacted bloom that …
August is here and the summer heat is well and truly on, hastening the ripening of our estate grapes. Veraison is in full swing, turning the green grapes to red as the pace of summer quickens and our thoughts turn to impending harvest. Pinot Noir sports netting — we don’t like to share with the …
The merry month of May leads the way for the glory of June, with its plethora of occasions to celebrate— graduations, Fathers Day, weddings, anniversaries — along with some fantastic and festive wine events. All are grand reasons to celebrate with Burrell School’s fine wines. Come visit us this weekend and stock up on wines …
The Merry Month of May: Wine & Roses at The Schoolhouse May is the month for “Days of Wine and Roses” at Burrell School Vineyards: it’s one of our favorite months, because the roses are brimming over with color and perfume, turning this place into a floral paradise. You’re invited to stroll in our gorgeous …
April is a busy month in the vineyard and in the cellar. The vines are exploding with growth and we have started our organic spray program to guard against powdery mildew, always a concern in our normally cool-climate mountains. The Petit Verdot looks mighty healthy and the Chardonnay looks abundant. There’s talk of showers coming …
March signals a shift in seasons as we move from winter into spring, even though we haven’t had much of a winter at all. We continue to pray for rain, hopefully before flowering occurs. Last year’s Pinot Noir bud break occurred during the first week of March and this year is on the same track …