2024 | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 | 2020
We just celebrated the 2022 Harvest! The crop is very small, but high quality fruit. Once again we are grateful to Ryan Beauregard from Beauregard Vineyards for agreeing to make our wine at his facility for another year. We could not stay in business without him. We also celebrate the release of our 2020 Christie Vineyard vintage, which was made on our behalf by John Benedetti at Sante Arcangeli Family Winery. We also recently bottled our 2021 Estate and 2021 Swan Clone. On the rebuild front we have submitted our Pre-Clearance application to Sant Cruz County, and are working through their feedback on requirements for the septic system rebuild. Unfortunately, we were flagged as a "rock fall hazard,"" due to the newly exposed hillside behind our winery and cabin. We need to dig in to determine next steps. But until those things are resolved, we cannot file for a building permit, and we need to determine cost of these requirements before establishing a budget for rebuilding the buildings. We continue to clear the site of wood debris, and have at this point whittled it down to wood we want to mill. Milling began in the fall and we will have redwood for siding and furniture, decking etc., and some good strong fir for framing. There are still very large trees trunks stacked. Their future is uncertain. We continue to wait for lawsuit for Grandma's house to run it's course, and the house remains uninhabitable. We remain grateful to be back on the property in the Tiny Home.
This summer the tree work continues! It costs a lot of money to move the large trunks off the property. So, we have been sorting the best ones for future milling, and having others hauled offsite. We have been focused on hauling and grinding the scrap. Work in the vineyard is relatively normal, and when doing that work it almost feels normal again. The insurance process remains arduous. For the winery site, much will depend on the outcome of our Pre-Clearance submissions, and any County requirements that come from that. The insurance company for the main surviving house has dug in their heels, and we are waiting the outcome of the lawsuit. Grandma's house remains uninhabitable. We are still feeling blessed to be able to stay on the property in the Tiny Home.
This spring the vineyard is looking strong. Plants that had to be replaced in 2021 are coming along nicely. We continue to do lots of tree work. We also now have power to the parcel, and we have repaired the well, and run a new water main from the well up to the edge of the future rebuild site. We are preparing a Site Plan and getting ready to submit our Pre-Clearance application to the County, which is a precursor to obtaining building permits. They will evaluate Fire Clearance, Geological Hazards, and Environmental Health (Well/Septic). The surrounding landscape has changed so much as we have cut down the dead trees, but the redwoods are coming back, and the meadows and vineyard are back to normal in appearance. The future tree line of the winery area is coming into focus. Unfortunately we had to fell a 200+ ft. Doug Fir that used to be behind our cabin. It started to turn over the winter, and projects to fall toward the building sites in the future. With all the large equipment on site, we've taken the opportunity to upgrade our irrigation supply and manifold. Sadly, we had to say goodbye to Roscoe, our Border Collie this spring. He lived a full life, and died at age 15.
The main house continues to be uninhabitable, and some disagreements have arisen between our family and the insurance company. We have hired a lawyer and will be suing them. They have not provided money for covered losses that are necessary for full remediation. Because of this, as well as the potential timeline for a replacement for our cabin (the Caboose), we have decided to purchase a Tiny Home so that we can be back on the property. Having access to a place to stay in Felton has been very helpful, but we'd save so much time by just being able to stay on the property. Our Tiny Home arrived in late January, and we are ecstatic to be back in Bonny Doon! We prepared a place for it down by the pool area near the vineyard.
2024 | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 | 2020