Each winter, as the days grow shorter and the Carneros hills turn cool and green, our vineyards enter a season of rest. The vines shed their leaves and harden off, conserving energy to protect themselves from the cold months ahead. It’s during this quiet time that our vineyard team begins one of the most important rituals of the year: pruning.
Across nearly 300 acres—more than 300,000 vines—each vine is carefully pruned to rebalance the growth of the previous season and prepare it for the year to come. At its core, pruning is about intention. Vines are natural climbers, and without guidance they grow unruly, producing too many shoots and clusters that compete for energy. Left unchecked, this results in uneven ripening, smaller fruit, and a vine that is difficult to manage. Pruning brings the vine back into harmony, focusing its strength on fewer, healthier shoots and placing each cluster within the “fruit zone,” where conditions are more uniform and harvest is more precise.
Most of our vineyards are trained using variations of a spur-cordon system, where permanent arms extend from the trunk and carry spurs that will produce shoots and fruit in the coming season. This means cutting back last year’s growth—sometimes canes stretching six feet or more—leaving just one to three buds to define the vine’s future. It is a practice that requires both discipline and foresight.
For Pinot Noir and Chardonnay, we often turn to cane pruning, also known as Guyot or long pruning. This method allows us to select one or more canes from the previous year and gently tie them to the wire, setting the foundation for the new season’s growth. Certain varietals and clones produce little fruit on their lower buds, and cane pruning helps improve both yield and uniformity while giving us greater control over vine vigor and balance.
Above all, pruning is a testament to the skill and dedication of our vineyard crew. Every vine is different, and every cut is a decision—one that must consider vine health, sap flow, structure, and long-term balance. Working through cold, wet winter days, our team brings decades of experience and an intimate understanding of vine physiology to each row. By the time the final vine is pruned, it feels less like finishing a task and more like completing a promise to the season ahead.
As we reach the midpoint of pruning, we’re reminded that great wines begin long before budbreak. With the groundwork laid and the vines carefully prepared, we look ahead with optimism—ready to see what the 2026 vintage will bring and confident in the hands and traditions guiding it forward.
Image of Chardonnay vine before Spur is Pruned
Image of Chardonnay Vine after Spur has been pruned
Image of cane pruned Pinot Noir vine in July
Image of spur pruned Pinot Noir vine in August
