09/29/2026
This weekend we celebrated a Harvest Moon! Around the equinox, the moon rises just a few minutes later each night instead of the usual hour, so you get several nights in a row of extra light right after sunset. Farmers used to lean on that glow to keep working past dark, way before anyone had electricity out in the fields, which is where its name comes from.
Turns out, we still take advantage of it. Cooler night air protects the acidity and aromatics in the grapes, so our crew heads out before sunrise to pick while it's still dark. We've actually been doing this since 1974, when we started experimenting with night harvest alongside Moët & Chandon's w**emaker, it's since become pretty standard practice across Napa.
So next time you look up at a big, bright September moon, just know: somewhere below, we're still holding this tradition and picking our fruit.
