January 4, 2006
I’ll open the first post of the new year with Happy New year wishes to all, and an apology for the unpardonable lapse between entries. The crush of the holidays was excaserbated this year with the sudden passing of Martha’s dad on December 11th. Dr. E Burton White, Jr. of New Orleans was a wonderful, kind, warm, gentle, and loving man, and we all feel a deep loss. I readily admit to reeling still from the loss of my mom in September – so in all it’s been a tough few months here on the family front.
In the Scott Paul world, all goes very well. Construction progresses on the new facilities, and Kelley and I are busy sourcing equipment and making purchases. A winery is one of the few building projects that absolutely cannot be late – fruit will be coming in by late September , and the facility simply has to be ready. I’m sure they’ll be some loose ends still dangling as we’re crushing this fall, but we WILL be functional! (I’ll be sure to copy this to our contractor, Marty…)
For a few years now I’ve been fascinated with the concept of Biodynamic viticulture and winemaking, and have had the opportunity to learn more about it through many of its leading practioners in Burgundy. (Biodynamics is a system created by Austrian Rudolph Steiner, the same man who created the Waldorf method of education.) In a nutshell, it is taking Organic farming to the next level, and working closely in harmony with the moon and the stars. In Burgundy DRC, Lafon, Leflaive, Comte Armand and many others have adopted these practices with great success. We started following biodynamic procedures in the winery in 2005 – paying attention to the lunar calendar and choosing specific, beneficial days for racking, topping, bottling, etc. We also used the calendar to help guide our harvest dates for 2005 – though we primarily picked on taste, as always. We are hoping to add some biodynamically-grown fruit to our program staring with the 2006 harvest. Details as things progress…
