James Cole Estate Winery

Today is Bud Break!

No, not “that” kind of bud break — not the one where
you stop what you are doing and enjoy an ice-cold beer.
I am talking about the moment when ‘new growth’ first
appears in the vineyard, kicking off the annual growth
cycle of the grapevine! And it happened today in our
James Cole Estate Vineyard. I took the above photo
late this afternoon from a vine directly in front of our
tasting room. With temperatures hovering in the
mid- to high- 70′s this past week, the buds began to
swell and finally burst open today, revealing the
young, beautiful wooly buds that unfurl and lengthen
into the fresh green canes that will eventually bear
the fruit of another exceptional vintage.
Now I’ll drink to that!

Looking to get the insider’s view into Napa inter-winery rivalries? Well, you won’t find it up or down the valley highways or tasting rooms…..it’ll be in the lanes of the Napa Bowl which we experienced firsthand last weekend at the “18th Annual Gutter Ball Classic for WIN (Wine Industry Network).”

We entered our James Cole team thinking we might have a shot at ending up somewhere in the top rankings based on some hidden talent that was unveiled when we hit the lanes spontaneously the night of our company Xmas party last year. However, we were quickly disillusioned at this wine industry tournament when all five team members in the lane next to us (from a winery you wouldn’t to frequent bowling alleys) had ONLY strikes and spares…yep, frame after frame, game after game. And, when we looked up and down the lanes, many others had incredible scores as well. Who would have known that all this was happening in our little town behind the scenes? So our sporadic spares, occasional strikes and corresponding high fives definitely made for a really good time, but…..rankings? What rankings?

All kidding aside, I’d like to say that maybe we’ll do better next year….but we’d all have to begin some serious training “Rocky” style…now. So, we’ve decided we are going to just stick with what we are good at — making quality wines and sharing them with those who like what we do, believe in our passion and enjoy the company you’ll find in our little tasting room.