Spring 2010 seems to be a long time coming with extended cold, wet periods this year, exciting arrivals, and the really good news that with all this rain we will have a normal rainfall year.

So far this Spring we have had a long rainy season extending into May, but with a full irrigation pond and plenty of rain soaking into the ground we should have plenty of water for the vines this year. With all the rain we have had an amazing display of flowers in and around the vineyard. We planted some insectary plants in the vine rows and had an amazing show of red clover until they were swallowed by the rapidly growing grasses and cover crop. We started mowing the vineyard as soon as the ground dried out in early May and had to deal with a cover crop that reached nearly 6 ft. high, which meant driving the tractor was directionally challenging at times.

Once again we rented some sheep from Canvas Ranch www.canvasranch.com, but this year we had some pregnant ewes and yearlings instead of the usual flock of wethers, which meant lambs would be arriving in the spring. Of course the first arrival showed up in torrential rain and the poor ewe had a very difficult delivery, losing the second lamb, but all the rest arrived in good condition and on warm sunny days. We also had a group from the Sonoma Land Trust www.sonomalandtrust.com here for a farm tour one day and had the pleasure of watching a lamb being born during the tour, quite the highlight of the day.

Another first for us this spring was the arrival of a Bald Eagle one morning, checking out the fish in the pond. We're use to seeing the Golden Eagles, looking for a free chicken dinner, but seeing the Bald Eagle was a first.

As always, with farming, we have our usual challenges, but this year we have a new pest in the area. The European Grapevine Moth came over from Europe some years ago and has established itself in neighboring Napa County. Now some have been found in Sonoma with one as close as a residential area in the the town of Healdsburg, not very far away. We have been attending training sessions on how to deal with the pest this Spring and will be working over the summer to monitor and treat it, if needed.

This summer after a three year process Puma Springs Vineyards finally gained the coveted Demeter Biodynamic® and USDA certification for the grapes grown at the farm.

2009 is proving to be a challenging year in the vineyard so far.  Early and heavy rains in October are playing havoc with the harvest this year.

After winning a Gold Medal at the Sonoma County Harvest Fair the Benziger Family Winery the 2006 vintage of the Puma Springs Cabernet quickly sold out. The wine was a 700 case limited production bottling available only at the Benziger Family Winery tasting room in Glen Ellen and on-line

With weather reported directly from our vineyard and updated several times a day.