It’s Harvest, my favorite time of the year. Earlier this week our first batch of grapes arrived and, per tradition, most of the winemaking team turned out to see them loaded into the hopper.

It’s a great day for everyone, and we get started by blessing the grapes and sharing a little bit of sparkling wine to mark the beginning of the hard work that we know is ahead of us.

Not to brag – but maybe just a little – you might remember that I made a couple Harvest predications a few weeks back. In that blog post I said the first batch of grapes would be arriving on August 28^th. And I nailed it. Maybe it’s time for another trip back to Vegas, but only after we wrap up this Harvest.

We’re all excited at Kendall-Jackson. From the first signs of veraison to the Harvest prep work we’ve been doing at the winery, to the crews in the vineyards, and everywhere else, this is an important time of the year. The 2012 vintage looks like it’s off to a great start, and I can’t wait to see what the rest of the season brings.