Will Henry and Kali Kopley, co-owners of Warner Henry Vineyard in the Santa Maria Valley — the first estate for Lumen Wines, the label owned by Henry and winemaker Lane Tanner — harvested the vineyard’s debut crop earlier this month.

For one year starting in May 2021, I documented the planting of Warner Henry Vineyard. The 5-acre site is named for Henry’s late father, businessman Warner Henry, who died in 2020 at age 82.

I caught up with Henry via email this month, when he, Kopley, their daughter, Winslow, and others harvested at Warner Henry. The site includes two varietals, pinot noir and ruche, a red grape that originated in Italy.

“We picked ruche on Friday, Oct. 6, and pinot noir on Monday, Oct. 9,” Henry said.

This growth season was a cool one, and across the board in Santa Barbara County, harvest started about three weeks later than last year.

“Oddly, the ruche took longer to ripen for most of the summer,” Henry noted, but “sprinted forward during the last heat wave — really, our first heat wave of the entire year.”

I always say that Mother Nature bats last, and during an “average” year, temperatures increase between May and late August. This season, however, was much cooler, harkening back to 2011, another standout “temperate” growing season.

Henry was blunt: “This year was cold, cold, cold. In the five years that we have lived on the site, we have not seen weather like this. There were some similarities to the 2021 vintage in that we had no heat waves at all in August or September.”

Looking back at the “wacky year in the Santa Maria Valley,” Henry said that this year’s wet winter led to lots of canopy (shoot) vigor, “but the cold and windy spring was terrible for flowering and (fruit) set.

“We barely got any fruit at all. (Some of that can be) chalked up to the young vines, but certain (pinot noir) clones basically didn’t produce any fruit at all, mostly due to weather conditions.

This year Henry and Kopley started farming “regenerative organic” — a step above organic. The couple allowed the vineyard’s cover (row) crop to “grow to maturity and we did not till the soil at all.”

Their biggest challenges, he recalled, were gophers (eating the roots, which kills the vines); squirrels (eating the fruit); and birds (same).

“The birds we dealt with humanely, by trying to make it uncomfortable at our site with the use of a bird laser. The other two had to be dealt with the old-fashioned way, by trapping, and our resident dogs and cats lent a hand, as well,” he said.

Looking ahead, Henry is “very hopeful for a fruitful 2024 vintage! I have learned so much, mostly by making mistakes, so hopefully next harvest will be the best one yet.”

Of Henry’s pinot noir clones, 828 “was the winner by a large margin,” and he believes it will comprise most of this year’s inaugural vintage.

Having planted the site as a family, Henry is very invested in the vines.

“When you put the labor in personally, your product instantly becomes more valuable to you. We will have about a barrel of it, which means only 25 or so cases for this first harvest, only a small fraction of which would be for sale to the public,” he said.

“It reminds me of the first harvest of Sanford & Benedict Vineyard, back in 1975, from third leaf vines, as recounted to me by Richard Sanford and my father (Warner), who was a consummate fan of Richard’s wines.

“The 1976 Sanford & Benedict Pinot Noir, which was on its fourth leaf, was what my father claimed to be the best bottle of pinot noir ever produced in California until the day he left this planet.”

Wine Enthusiast Honors Camins 2 Dreams’ Tara Gomez

Wine Enthusiast magazine has announced winners in its 2023 “Future 40” competition, and Lompoc winemaker Tara Gomez of Camins 2 Dreams was included.

“If there is one theme that unites this year’s Future 40 honorees across their many categories, it is advocacy — in every sense of the word,” noted the publication.

“Advocacy for including people of all backgrounds in an industry that is struggling to find its footing in appealing beyond a traditional base, as well as advocacy for the environment, advocacy for each other and advocacy for workers in the hospitality industry on which they all, in one way or another, depend. Most of all though, advocacy for a better future.”

Gomez, in an email newsletter, said she is “beyond grateful, honored and blessed to be included in the Future 40 Class of 2023 for Wine Enthusiast.

“I never thought this day would ever come because I was past the “40 under 40” age group (Wine Enthusiast’s previous award category), so when I got the news, I was in a bit of shock as they relaunched the list as “Future 40,” opening it up to all ages.

“I am thankful to Wine Enthusiast for recognizing the hard work I put in day in and day out. I am living out a dream that I had as a kid, to not only be a winemaker, but to establish my own winery, Camins 2 Dreams. 

“And, even though I am a small family producer, I was raised on giving back. I will continue to do so, to support my BIPOC and LGBTQIA+ communities and bring awareness to the under-represented/under-resourced communities.  Thank you for not just recognizing me, but celebrating me,” she said.

Gomez and her wife, Mireia Taribo, co-founded Camins 2 Dreams in Lompoc. The winery’s tasting room is located in the Wine Ghetto at 1520 E Chestnut Court, Unit C, Lompoc.

Paso Robles Region Wins USA Today “10 Best Readers’ Choice” Award

The Paso Robles wine region in July won USA TODAY’s “10Best Readers’ Choice” travel award for “Best Wine Region.”

“We are thrilled and honored to be named the “Best Wine Region” in the USA TODAY travel award contest,” said Joel Peterson, executive director of the Paso Robles Wine Country Alliance.

“This recognition is a testament to the exceptional craftsmanship of our winemakers and the warm hospitality of our community.”

Visit https://www.10best.com/awards/travel/best-wine-region-2023/