Muns Vineyard

06/02/2026

The Pinot has been in bloom over the past couple of weeks, and by now many of the clusters have fertililzed and set. This photo shows both in proximity on the same vine: bloom (on the right) and set (on the left).

06/01/2026

An update on the grafting: less than a month ago we grafted over a little 2 acres from Pinot Noir to Aligoté. Now the buds are pushing and some are leafing out. It's been a chilly Spring, with foggy mornings and rain - .5" just a few days ago. But now the days are lengthening and it's warming up, and these shoots will grow fast.

05/05/2026

Grafting in Action (Part 2): Once he has the buds sliced off, in less than one minute he slices into the cambium layer of the trunk and places a bud against it (one on each side of the trunk). Then he wraps grafting tape around both buds to hold them tight against the trunk. Then he saws into the trunk to give the sap flow an exit. Otherwise, the sap can be so strong it will pop out the buds. It's been pretty chilly these days so the sap isn't flowing very strongly right now, but it will once it warms up. The trunk is a 24 year old Pinot Noir with well-established roots. The buds are Aligoté, a Burgundy varietal. We'll get some fruit off the new vines this year, but really are anticipating a good harvest next year. Then we'll be doing some more grafting over to Chenin Blanc in a few more weeks. The grafting is being done by Top-Notch Grafting in Santa Rosa. https://www.topnotchvineyard.com/

05/05/2026

Grafting in action (Part 1): It starts with the crew slicing buds off the bud material that has been kept in refrigeration to keep it dormant. In this case he slices 6 buds off the stick. This took less than 30 seconds. He'll add 2 buds to each trunk, so this will take care of 3 trunks. You'll note that he catches the buds in his left hand, dropping the inch or two of the stick in between the buds, and then puts the buds in his mouth - a good place to hold them to free up his hands. Part 2 continues in next video.

05/02/2026

Big changes at Muns Vineyard: For the past 24 years we have focused on red varietals Pinot Noir and Syrah. Now, to meet changes in the market, we are grafting over some of our 12.5 acres of Pinot vines to white varietals. Working with Madson Wines, we just finished grafting 2.2 acres (about 2700) vines to Aligoté, a white Burgundy known for its good acidity. The first harvest will be next year, so look forward to it! We will still have a lot of Pinot Noir vines and continue to produce Pinot and Syrah, but more grafting is to come soon to Chenin Blanc, too. The photos below show (top row, l to r) the heads cut off from the original vines; the crew working to move the heads out of the rows; a cut trunk with the new buds grafted on; (middle row, l to r) a pile of vine heads ready to be burned (and there is a 2nd pile on the other side of the vineyard); the grafting crew at work in the rows; (bottom row l to r) the grafting crew at work, and Skye helping; the finished 2+ acres grafted over to Aligoté. You can look forward to some white wines from Muns Vineyard in the next couple of years - in addition to our excellent Pinot Noirs and Syrah.

04/24/2026

Changes happening at Muns Vineyard... Where and why did these vines go? Stay tuned for updates over the next couple of weeks.

04/02/2026

Ed mowing with the flail mower on the New Holland crawler. Volume up for the sound effects!

02/19/2026

Due to cold, wet, rainy, inclement weather in the vineyard we will be pouring for Passport Day this Saturday at Chaminade Resort in Santa Cruz (at 1 Chaminade Lane) where it will be dry and warm. See Chaminade listed in your Passport. Please join Ed and Mary there to enjoy our Estate Pinot Noirs and Syrah. 12:00-4:00.
Your Passport is your pass to over 30 participating Santa Cruz Mts. wineries at Passport Days 3x/year, available from Wines of the Santa Cruz Mountains https://winesofthesantacruzmountains.com/events/passport/

02/06/2026

Discounted Early Bird tickets are available until Feb. 19 for the Grand Tasting on March 29 at Mountain Winery. Dive deep into the wines of the Santa Cruz Mountains and discover more than 45 wineries - including Muns Vineyard! Take in breathtaking, panoramic views of Silicon Valley while you sip award-winning wines and bid on more than 50 exciting silent auction items––including rare wine releases, magnums and VIP vineyard tours. Grab a bite to eat at The Mountain Winery concessions bar or pack a picnic to linger through the afternoon. Upgrade to the VIP Caviar and White Wine Experience.

For more information see the Wines of the Santa Cruz Mountains website https://winesofthesantacruzmountains.com/events/gt2026/

12/25/2025