Something’s happening out on the hillside
There's a moment each spring that stops me in my tracks.
It happens quietly — no announcement, no fanfare — just the first tiny green buds pushing through the gnarled wood of the vines. Bud break. If you blink, you miss it. If you're paying attention, it feels like a miracle.
This year's pruning was a family affair. While we can't get to every vine (thank you Juan and Maria), we do tend diligently to a section of block 1. Lisa considers it agri-meditation and the girls love playing with the pruners and figuring out where to make the cuts (just two buds!). Libby does still prefer suckering so she can just grab shoots and rip (she lives up to her full-send nickname in everything she does).
Every cut we make in the winter shapes what ends up in your glass. Pruning decides how many clusters each vine will carry, how concentrated the flavors will be, how hard the vine works. It's slow, deliberate work — the kind that reminds you this is farming first, and winemaking second.
The hillside is starting to turn. Cover crops are growing fast and already being mowed, the waterfall is running strong from the winter rains, and the ranch feels alive again after a quiet few months.
We're cautiously optimistic about 2026. More on that as the season unfolds.
As always, we’re deeply grateful for your support and following along in our adventure. This little hillside is better for having people who care about it.
Justin, Lisa, Eleanor, Libby & Bella
Collier Falls Vineyard
