Hello to all.

Been way too long since my last posting, but I have had company for the last month or so, and I have been busy both in the vineyard and in the winery. Anyway - that's my excuse...and I'm stickin to it.

So - this time I have some good news and some better news!!

First - The Vineyard - The vines are growing like crazy!! Its been very warm (95+ ) and with the occasional thunderstorm the vines have really taken off. We have had to go out and do more pruning - of the low-lying shoots to get them up off the ground - thank you Terry and Kathryn!! And even with that, the vines are still running wild.

The fruit set for this year looks very good, and with the mildew prevention I have been doing, it looks like it will be a good crop. Come September, I would guess we'll have about twice the yield we had last year; or about 130 hectoliters - should be enough for 18,000 bottles. That is about normal for the vineyard, so this year's crop is doing great.



House - nothing new to report. The guest room seems to be working just fine, as my latest guests were with me for quite a stretch ( 5 weeks) and didn't complain once. And we all figured out how to share the one bathroom. I got the screens up on all the windows and doors, so the bug problem from last year is not an issue...and with the hot weather having them all open has been a life saver.

Wine - Lots of news on this front.

First The Rose. As I mentioned in my earlier notes, I held the Open House back in April and sold about 1/2 the wine. Well, since then sales have been slower, but I am now down to the last 1/3 (25 cases). And I expect to be able to sell quite a bit of it next month (more on that later). So I am happy with the way things have progressed so far.

The Red. Well - the Open House I held early June to release the red did NOT go as well as I had hoped. While I had pretty good turn-out for the rose in April, the response to the red was like...nothin...I think I had about 8 people show up...Yikes!!!! Fortunately, follow-on sales have been OK. I have sold about 1000 bottles so far (out of 7500), so that's OK - not quite the "Run" I had hoped for, but not a bad start. And, again, with the event next month (see below) sales are going about as planned.

AND - THE GOOD NEWS !!!!! I got an order from Noble Wines Ltd., in Seattle for 50 cases!!! My first sale in the US!! The freight company is coming to pick-up the wine next week - with an expected arrival in Seattle in mid-September....so ASK FOR IT AT YOUR LOCAL STORE..."Mas de la Lionne 2008 Cotes du Rhone". If your store doesn't have it, ask them to get it from Noble - who distributes throughout Puget Sound.

And more news - every year in August, the town of Chateauneuf-du-Pape holds their 'Fete de Veraison', which is their celebration of the founding of the town back in the 14th century. Its a weekend affair where the entire town is turned into a medieval village, and they put on jousts, and parades, and musicales, etc. In addition, they have local artisans with small booths of handicrafts. And they have what they call the "Village de Vignerons" (wine village) - where local winemakers can pour and sell their wines - on the street. I was here last year in time to attend, and its a great weekend.

So - this year, I decided to see if I could get in...and they accepted me. So - I have a spot in the town that weekend (Saturday and Sunday), and will be pouring and selling the rose and the red wines. And with this being the 25th anniversary of the celebration, they expect 30,000 or so people...should be a great opportunity for exposure!! I am really looking forward to it, and will let you know how it goes!

Think that's all for now.

Be good out there.