Find us on the Vin Organica app

You can find Coates Vineyards on Vin Organica, a new app (available at the Apple Store). It's a handy guide to organic, no-sulfites wines and vineyards in California. It includes slide shows, tasting room hours, nearby restaurants and lodging, prices, maps and directions.

2010 Harvest and Crush

Luckily Coates Vineyards had some wonderful help from our local bears in cleaning off all the grapes that we hadn't harvested ourselves this season. Rain came the 3rd weekend in September just before we started the pick. We left hanging the rain damaged Syrah, Zinfandel and Sangiovese grapes to be pruned off later with the canes. The bear in the photo had decided that the grapes were fine enough for fresh eating and is systematically working down the row, enjoying a lovely, peaceful Syrah afternoon.

The Merlot, Petite Sirah, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Trebbiano ripened well and their thicker skins withstood splitting and subsequent molding. We finished the harvest and crush with 70 new barrels of 2010 wines.