“Budbreak is the ‘birth’ of the new season. The buds are furry, oddly colored, and like a newborn baby, have no resemblance to what they will look like in maturity. It is the circle of life that will end in nine months when the vines go back into hibernation. Only after we harvest their ‘blood’ and turn it into heavenly wine.”
– Dan Lee, Morgan Winery

1. Chardonnay buds peeping out from Morgan Winery’s Double L Vineyard. Morgan experienced an early budbreak this year due to lack of rain and above normal February temperature. Then, cold and rainy weather set in and things stalled, pushing budbreak progress back to a more normal schedule.

2. Over 1,000 sheep fertilize and make the vines at Shannon Ridge healthy.

3. and 4. The Alicante Bouschet buds in Dry Creek Vineyard’s DCV7 lot, which is planted in front of and along the south side of the Healdsburg winery.

5. Chardonnay vines in full rebirth at Lava Cap Winery in Placerville, CA.

6. Sweeping views from Shannon Ridge’s Grenache Morine Block in Lake County.

9. Budbreak occurred about two weeks earlier than normal at McIntyre Vineyards in Santa Lucia Highlands. The weather is cold enough that the team was concerned about frost.

11. Rugged vines spotted at Domaine de Cala in Brignoles, in the heart of Provence, France.