Hello Everyone!

We have not seen a crop like we have hanging now for quite a number of years. The process of estimating the size of a crop is a very imperfect art. Mark and I have been in the vineyard regularly for the past several weeks, and Mark has worked out a rough estimate for the Chardonel. Our guess at this point is that we will have about seventy-three tons of Chardonel. This tonnage rivals some of our best years. 

The vines are clean and completely free of disease, and there is no sign of any disease anywhere in our vineyards. In the past, I have mentioned our four main enemies: black rot, phomopsis, downy mildew and powdery mildew. We have had one infestation of Japanese beetles, but it was tiny compared to prior years. We read that the population of Japanese beetles is greatly reduced throughout the state this year, and we see that here at Chaumette. Vern Isenmann has done a great job, as usual, of keeping the area under the vines free of vegetation. Our soil amendments have been made, and the recent rain has helped integrate those amendments into the soil.Our sprays this year include nutrients that are applied to the leaves. This is the best method of incorporating the vital micro-nutrients magnesium, manganese, iron, zinc, copper and boron. As part of the “cocktail” that we spray, a liquified fish component is incorporated that provides these micronutrients. When you drive through the vineyard after this application, it smells like you are on the seashore at the beach.This year we have hired a part time additional person in the vineyard to do shoot positioning. This means that in most of the vineyard the shoots are positioned straight up, which greatly enhances the openness of the canopy and the exposure of the grape clusters to the sun. I have only good things to report about where we stand on this year’s crop.

AT&T UVerse fiber optic cable for The Barn

In other subjects, after waiting for things to dry out since spring, we have finally been able to trench and lay the power cable and the fiber optic cable from the Tasting Room to The Barn. The cable is now in place and will be hooked up this week. We will have AT&T UVerse in The Barn in the near future, which will allow for wifi and high speed internet forcorporate meetings and other events.

The swimming pool is getting quite a workout this year. Many of our Wine Club members have begun  enjoying the pool on Saturdays and Sundays. We are delighted! All members are welcome…

Our newest villa is near completion! We expect Villa 29 to be finished in the first week of August. This will give us two more bedrooms to rent, which will be a welcome addition to our inventory.

Fishing continues in all of our lakes with a sizable number of fish being caught every weekend. We welcome everyone to try their hand anytime; remember to catch and release!

We look forward to seeing you soon at Chaumette, and we hope that you are enjoying your summer!

Cheers!

  Hank Johnson, Owner

by referring a friend to our Wine Club, you’ll receive a complimentary bottle of wine for every membership referral. Refer 7 friends, and receive a complimentary overnight stay in our villas!*  Simply have your friend check “Wine Club Member” under the “referred by” section of the Wine Club application and write your name on the line provided.  Please remember that only after your friend’s first shipment is processed do we send a voucher to you for a complimentary bottle of wine, redeemable in our Tasting Room.  Lastly, our Grand Prize is: refer 14 members, and receive a Weekend Getaway for Two at Chaumette! This includes an overnight stay with dinner for two and a bottle of wine at our Grapevine grill as well as an in-villa breakfast package!

We look forward to seeing you soon!