Winter has truly settled in on the North Fork of Long Island, and while the vineyard may look quiet on the surface, this marks one of the most important—and demanding—times of the year for our team. Throughout the winter work in the vineyard never stops!
With the vines fully dormant and sap safely returned to the roots, our team has begun winter pruning. This work represents the single largest and most critical task of the entire vineyard year.
Our crew evaluates and shapes every vine by hand. Pruning defines vine structure, balance, and vigor, and ultimately determines fruit quality. The work is meticulous, labor-intensive (and often very cold), and it demands experience, patience, and intention. Every cut made now directly influences what the vine will deliver in 2026.
Simply put, great wine starts here—long before bud break.
Winter also allows us to focus on the long view: strengthening vineyard health and planning for future growth. These regenerative projects reflect both our confidence in this site and our commitment to responsible farming on the North Fork. They also align with our participation in New York Sustainable Winegrowing, which guides our decisions around soil health, vine longevity, and adaptability—without ever losing sight of quality.
We are preparing to graft approximately three acres of existing Chardonnay vines over to Sauvignon Blanc. This complex, highly skilled process requires precision and experience, so we’ve partnered with an expert grafter from California to lead the work early this summer.
Our team is currently collecting pruning cuttings (scion wood) and placing them into cold storage at 35–40°F, where they will remain dormant until early June. At that point, the grafter will carefully splice each cutting into the upper trunk of the existing Chardonnay vines. If all goes as planned, these vines will begin producing Sauvignon Blanc fruit in 2027.
This approach allows us to adapt thoughtfully while preserving the well-established root systems already thriving in our soils.
Our second project centers on Teroldego, a variety that has continued to impress us over the past six to seven years. Its performance on the North Fork has proven exceptional, and we feel confident in its future here.
This winter, we sent pruning cuttings from our Teroldego block to a grapevine nursery in the Finger Lakes. During the 2026 growing season, those cuttings will grow before the nursery grafts them onto preferred rootstock. We will plant approximately 2.75 acres of these young vines in spring 2027.
They won’t produce fruit until 2029, which brings us to one of our favorite truths in the wine business:
“The good news about the wine business is that nothing happens very quickly.
The bad news about the wine business is that nothing happens very quickly.”
It’s a long game—but a deeply rewarding one.
Inside the winery, winter brings a quieter, more reflective rhythm, but the work continues steadily.
Our white wines clarify naturally in tank, while barrel-fermented and sur-lie wines rest on their lees. We stir these barrels every two weeks to build texture, richness, and mouthfeel. By late winter, these wines—along with our Rosé—will move into stabilization in preparation for bottling.
Our sparkling wines also continue to clarify naturally and progress toward bottling later this spring.
Right now, the red wines command most of our attention in the cellar.
Malolactic fermentation has finished across the reds, softening acidity and enhancing texture. We have racked these wines off their sediment and returned them to barrel, marking the start of élevage—the aging phase where balance truly begins to take shape.
At this stage, our decisions focus on:
How long each wine remains in barrel
Barrel type and age
Timing and amount of oxygen exposure
Unlike stainless steel, barrels allow slow, continuous micro-oxygenation. This process softens tannins, builds complexity, and helps the wines find harmony. Here, winemaking becomes both technical and intuitive.
At this point in the cellar, we can finally assess the 2025 vintage with clarity—well beyond the optimism of harvest season. The verdict is clear: 2025 is a very good year.
Across whites, Rosé, and reds, the wines show balance, structure, and expressive character. In time, 2025 will stand out as a stellar North Fork vintage.
Of course… patience still applies.
Winter may feel quiet, but everything happening now lays the foundation for what’s ahead. We look forward to sharing these wines with you—when the time is right. 🍷
