(Another) Year in the Vineyard: A Wine Blog by Wes Hagen of Clos Pepe/WineMaker

WineMaker Magazine “Another Year in the Vineyard”: A Wine Blog Week One: March 11-18, 2010 And So it Begins…  Welcome back to the 2010 version of the ‘Year in the Vineyard’ Wine Blog.  I am your host, Wes Hagen, slave to the vine, herder of the yeast, vineyard manager and winemaker for Clos Pepe Vineyards in the beautiful Santa Rita Hills AVA in Northern Santa Barbara County, California. This will be my lucky 13th Vintage at Clos Pepe (producing a crop), and our 15th year producing fruit here at the Clos.  It will be the 11th vintage for the Clos Pepe Estate wines and the third vintage for our new label, Axis Mundi.  But Axis will get minimal play here on the blog, as I buy the fruit for that label.  Which makes it very, very easy.  And easy is boring in a blog. Here’s a quick recap for those who are just joining us.  (Welcome!  The rule around here is that you have to get a glass of wine while you peruse this blog.  If you are at work,