From our first Semillon and Sauvignon Blanc blocks to our final red-varietal Estate picks, our 2009 harvest spanned more than two months. Though the 2009 growing season presented certain challenges—from early shatter to late-season rain—a thoughtful response in the vineyards yielded smaller-than-normal crops of high-quality fruit. This response included aggressive leafing, an early thinning protocol and a heavy field sort to select only the most desirable grapes.