Carhartt Family Wines

Carhartt Ranch Update Spring 2023


Hello Rascals!

Gotta love the saying “when it rains, it pours.” Certainly, 2023 has started with some much needed rain! In the month of January alone, we have received almost 10 inches, with the rain year total so far, a solid 18.35 inches! Our beloved Lake Cachuma (with over 21 inches) is at full capacity right now, something we haven’t seen in over eight years. The many aquifers and reservoirs throughout the county have been super-charged, so to speak, and for those of us with private wells on site, a big sigh of relief. Here at Carhartt, we feel extremely grateful, as we know that many vineyards and crop land along the entire Central Coast suffered some major losses. Prayers all around. While our vineyards and property did have some damage to the roads, fences, and vine rows with run-off, it was fairly minimal with respect to all of the advantages.

One of the primary benefits of an extended soaking is that the water has an opportunity to penetrate deep into the soil, helping to leach out salts and build-up on the roots of our vines. In walking our vineyards, we can see the cover crop flourishing as well as our native grasses and plants – the valley is so green right now, it looks like Ireland! Our canyon creek is flowing again, and while we know it won’t last, it’s a beautiful sight. We are experiencing very cold temperatures, but because the vines are in their dormancy stage, it’s a good thing! In February-March, we will start our pruning, the first steps of witnessing the miracle of growth and regeneration in plant life. Very exciting! We are so looking forward to seeing what the 2023 fruit crop will bring.

As for the winery, we are very busy with racking our 2021 wines for making blends (delicioso!), tasting through those lots, and now racking all of our new 2022 wines (racking off the “lees”). So far, Chase and I are thrilled with the ‘22 vintage – while it was sometimes fickle weather-wise, the grapes seem to have “risen to the occasion”, and the resulting wines are awesome. Since our sought-after Sauvignon Blanc and Rose are from this 2022 vintage, we are also getting those wines ready for bottling in March of this year! We can hardly wait for the anticipated Rose Release party in April. But lest we forget to mention, we have several other unique and fun whites and reds also up for bottling – stay tuned!

As always, please remember that we are always grateful for your support, love, and connection with us, as individuals and as a family brand. Each one of our Rascals is important to us – and you are the heart and soul of our company. We can toast to that!

Cheers,

Brooke Carhartt