The weather was perfect and the birds were chirping and the people were munching, sipping and staring through binoculars. Yes, Bird Day at Schlumberger was once again a total blast! And best of all, together we helped to raise much-needed funds for the fine folks at the Sonoma County Bird Rescue Center. And now for the photos…

Kent, Wendy & Doug prep goodies for the Big Event...

A birder birding in the garden

Birding can be a thirsty activity. Winemaker Brunson sets things right

Turkey Vulture with Rescue Center handler.

Mela shows off a very Great Horned Owl.

Very cool Osprey.

This is what's in the nesting boxes in our vineyards -- the Barn Owl.

Who can say she's not beautiful?

Check out the eyes on this tiny raptor -- the Merlin.

So there you have it.  And if you missed it, don’t fear — the next big event in the Worms to Wine Series. Critter Day at Schlumberger, takes place on Saturday June 15 from 1:00 PM – 4:00 PM. We’ll be featuring all of the creatures, great and small, that contribute to our sustainable farming practices on the Estate. Details will be coming soon so check back…

tony

First, a quick note: If you haven’t already read PART 1 of this blog please click here to get caught up.

Well fortified, the team develops a plan of attack...

I was in a bit of a rush so I grabbed the first bottle of wine I came across in the Cellar — the 2003 Michel-Schlumberger syrah. I’ve always worshipped the syrah from our Benchland vineyards so the fact the wine tasted KILLER was no surprise. What was a bit out of the ordinary was the occasion. It was late at night and the four us polished off that bottle of syrah while sitting on the dock at Lake Schlumberger in pitch dark under a sea of stars, dressed in rubber waders and sporting headlamps, binoculars and dip nets. And talking about frogs. And when this very civil strategy session was complete we flipped on our lights and waded into the black water in search of the Red-Legged Frog.

Frogs, it turns out, are actually fairly easy to spot in the dark. Their eyes reflect the light back when spotted with a powerful headlamp. A quick glance around with the lights revealed numerous glowing eyes along the shoreline. We also spotted the glowing eyes of a very confused Mother Goose sitting on her eggs in The Love Nest in the middle of the lake!

Natasha spots a big one...

Once a frog was spotted we were usually able to slowly creep up on it (much like a heron fishing in shallow water) until Natasha was close enough to make the identification. Making a positive i.d. in the light of a headlamp through binoculars while crouching in cold, dark water is truly a talent and Natasha has plenty of it. The most abundant and noisiest frog, by far, is the Sierra Tree Frog. These tiny little guys drove me crazy because you could be virtually standing on top of one, right over where the frog was still loudly croaking away, but it was almost impossible to actually see it. The Bullfrogs were much, much larger and, therefore, much easier to spot. And if the stalking went well Natasha could get close enough to deftly scoop the dipnet right under the specimen and scoop it up out of the water. When I tried I found that the scooping part was pretty easy but keeping a large, agitated frog in the net until I could get a hold of it properly was downright comical. Although the survey required quiet and calm we spent quite a bit of time laughing hysterically each time I would net a frog only to have it launch several feet right back out of the net to the safety of the water like a Calaveras County champion!

Our floating quarry, eyes glowing, just offshore...

Natasha begins her approach...

Working for position. It's best to creep up on the frog from behind...

A split second later and the frog is in the net!

It's a Bullfrog. Decent sized but no monster. Actually kinda cute...

So we waded and surveyed and laughed till around midnight. And no Red-Legged Frogs were spotted. But I haven’t given up. In the end, we were only able to survey a fraction of the frog habitat on the Estate. And now that I know the basics of frogging technique and identification I’m more ready than ever to continue the quest. I guess mostly because the quest is so darn fun.

Hugh makes a new friend.

So, Question O’ The Day: What in the world do frogs have to do with world class wines? The Answer: Everything. Frogs, you see, are very sensitive to pesticides and habitat destruction. A pond teeming with frogs (and turtles and fish) indicates a very healthy, pristine ecosystem. Combine that with vineyards sporting lush, green, permanent cover crops to support beneficial bugs, bees and birds and it’s no wonder that you’ve got some seriously happy vines. And happy vines make great wines that make great, happy people. It’s that simple.

Tony

Armed with binoculars, a Coors Light I got from the Vineyard guys and two hours of time to kill before the Big Event, I headed off on a reconnaissance mission. The evening was spectacular. The birds and the bees were going off with that “first good sunny day after a long cold, wet spell” happiness. All was very well in the vineyards of Michel-Schlumberger.

But then I heard it and it sent a little tingle up my spine.

I had listened to that very same sound many times, just hours before in fact, on the site I found on the internet. I already knew the call well, of course, but I needed to be positively sure. And standing on the hill overlooking the lake in the syrah block, I was sure. It was the call of the Bullfrog. And the Bullfrog and I had an important date in two hours time…

American Bullfrog. Deceptively cute...

Although the American Bullfrog is found throughout most of California they are not natives to The Golden State. To be exact, their home range is pretty much from the edge of Canada south to the Rio Grande River in Texas, and from the East Coast all the way west to New Mexico and Colorado.

Bullfrog devours a tree frog

And this transplant is not necessarily a welcome one.  The non-native American Bullfrog is probably responsible for some of the decline of many native species, including frogs, turtles, snakes, and waterfowl. In short, Bullfrogs are big and tough and they eat anything they can they stuff down there throats. Literally. Documented prey includes rodents, small turtles, snakes, birds, and even bats. And, oh yes, they eat a lot of frogs. Especially frogs smaller than them, like the California Red-Legged Frog.

The California Red-Legged Frog is truly a California frog – it is found in no other state. And unlike the Bullfrog, it is listed as a Threatened Species by U.S. Fish & Wildlife. It is estimated that this species has disappeared from 70% of its original range and is now only found in about 238 streams or drainages in 23 counties of California. Although the most serious threats to this frog are loss of habitat from urbanization and agriculture and exposure to pesticides, the voracious Bullfrog certainly isn’t helping matters.

The beautiful and noble California Red-Legged Frog

And here’s where Natasha Dvorak enters the picture. Natasha is a local frog expert and lover of M-S wines. I met her at Fish Day a few weeks back and when conversation turned from steelhead trout to frogs I had to admit my complete ignorance of pretty much anything amphibian. Maybe it was the cabernet we were sipping but somehow it didn’t seem that odd at the time when she suggested that maybe we should suit up in waders and tromp around Lake Schlumberger in the middle of the night with headlamps, binoculars and dip nets to search for Red-Legged Frogs. Sure, why not? After another glass of wine a date was set.

Yes, folks — we were going Frogging.

But that was weeks ago. And tonight’s the night. And now it’s nearly 8:00 PM and I’m sitting at the computer after completing my recon and hearing the Bullfrog and in a few minutes I’ll be meeting up with Natasha and two other intrepid volunteers to brave the bullying Bullfrogs and search for our little local hero the California Red-Legged Frog. It’s peak mating season for frogs so they should be extra feisty tonight.

I feel like Marlin Perkins. Or, more accurately — Jim. Anyway, gotta go. Stay tuned to find out what went down…

Tony

P.S. To hear the spine-chilling call of the American Bullfrog click here. If you’ve got the nerve…

Now THAT'S a Bullfrog!

This was not your typical winery event. In fact, it didn’t really seem like an “event” at all – more like a buncha really nice folks simply hanging out together, sipping amazing wine, wandering around on a beautiful day looking at birds and learning about steelhead trout and salmon and the creeks in which they spawn.

In short, our first annual Fish Day was a great way to kick off the 2010 Michel-Schlumberger Worms to Wine Nature Series. We were blessed with great weather, plenty of HUGE steelhead trout, and two outstanding human beings as tour guides — Ranger Michael Carroll and Elliott Doss of California Fish and Game.

For those who missed it, here’s what went down…

Ranger Michael greets guests at the hatchery.

Checking out massive steelhead trout heading upstream, feverish to spawn...

Our intrepid guide, Ranger Michael.

A good 12 pounder.

Inside the hatchery.

Fellow ranger takes some measurements and records the results.

Then it was back to the Estate for wine and sunshine.

Fish expert Elliott Doss assembling guests to walk Wine Creek.

Elliott showing off his restoration work on Wine Creek.

Looking for steelhead -- we found some little ones!

Finishing off the fine morning with snacks, conversation and a personal tasting of Mike Brunson's favorite wines.

There you have it — Fish Day 2010! A portion of the proceeds from this event is going to Friends of Lake Sonoma. NOW is a great time to visit the hatchery (and it’s perfect for kids, too).  Get out there and help out our piscine pals.

And mark those calendars for the next event in the Worms to Wine Nature Series. We will be hosting my very favorite winery event of the year, Bird Day, on Saturday April 17. Stay tuned for details…

Bass Wishes and Sanddabbly Yours,

tony

p.s.   And a special message for those of you who attended the event – the chicken is O.K.!!!

You can feel it in the air. The excitement is as thick as this morning’s fog in Dry Creek Valley. Yes, folks, we are merely days away from the kick-off of our new (and exciting) Worms to Wine Nature Series at Michel-Schlumberger. In case you haven’t heard yet, this year we will present to you six fun, filling and educational events that highlight various aspects of our organic and sustainable farming practices. The series kicks off with Fish Day at Schlumberger from 1:00 PM to 4:00 PM on Saturday March 20.

Last week Brunson, Wendy and I paid a quick visit to the Lake Sonoma Fish Hatchery to hash out some details (actually, we really just wanted to get away from our desks for awhile). Ranger Michael Carroll literally greeted us at the door with open arms. Michael is one of those preciously rare types that is simply so friendly and cool and knowledgeable that you can’t help but feel at peace with the world when you’re around him. This guy could take you on a tour of a feedlot and you’d still be smiling the whole time.

So it had been a few years since I’d been to the hatchery and they’ve really done some cool improvements in the meantime. Ranger Michael started by strolling us along the small creek which links Dry Creek to the hatchery raceways. Numerous HUGE steelhead trout were paired up in the shallow creek, ready to spawn and perfectly visible from the walkway above. Simply breathtaking. Especially considering the view of the ponds around the hatchery grounds that buzzed with the activity of all sorts of waterfowl (I especially was enamoured with the incredibly beautiful wood ducks). And just when I thought it couldn’t get any better Michael glanced up and pointed to the sky where a bald eagle soared in lazy circles. Wow.

Inside the hatchery was just as amazing. I’ll spare you the details (you’ll soon see for yourself) but I will say that we were treated to plenty of face-to-face introductions with every one of the Steelhead life stages from egg to 15 pounder.

Anyway, the warm up tour was fun but frankly I’m itching for game day. So here’s the official scoop:

12:45 to 1:00 PM: All guests please meet at the Lake Sonoma Hatchery parking lot to check in.

1:00 to 2:00 PM: Hatchery tour with Ranger Michael Carroll. Following the tour, guests will drive to Michel-Schlumberger (about a 12 minute drive south of the hatchery).

2:30 to 3:00 PM: Walk, talk and sip along recently-restored Wine Creek with Winemaker Mike Brunson and fish expert Elliott Doss of California Fish and Game.

3:15 to 4:00 PM: Personal Cellar tasting of Mike’s favorite wines with snacks and pleasant conversation.

Event price is $20 and a portion of Fish Day proceeds goes to The Friends of Lake Sonoma – a non-profit organization whose purpose is to serve and support the interpretive and visitor service programs at Lake Sonoma. RSVPs for this event are nice but are not required. To RSVP or for questions or more details please contact our staff at #433-7427. Oh, and please plan on dressing warmly with comfortable walking shoes.

There you have it. I will see you there!

tony

WOW – it’s a stunningly incredibly gloriously refreshingly sunny day at Schlumberger today! That’s one reason this week’s post is gonna be short and sweet – frankly, after the many weeks of cold rain I’d much rather go wander outside and experience the Estate rather than sit here on my computer and write about it. Besides that, my camera is busted (who knew a 2 foot drop onto a carpeted floor could turn a $200 digital camera into a disposable piece of junk?).

Anyway, last week my lovely wife and I cracked open a bottle of Michel-Schlumberger 2007 cabernet franc to drown our rain-induced sorrows. Lord have mercy, what a wine! I couldn’t get over the sheer berry-ness — oodles of dark, ripe, rich blackberry framed perfectly by a touch of cocoa and spice. Serious yummy fun.

Cabernet franc grapes

An incredibly tasty Schlumberger wine is, of course, no huge surprise. What is interesting, though, is the past history of this grape in our vineyards. For years the cab franc never quite made the cut to be considered for a varietal offering. Until Brunson stepped in. So the Question o’ the Day I posed to Mike the Winemaker is this:

How did you transform the cabernet franc at Michel-Schlumberger from a lackluster blender into a stellar stand-alone superstar?

Mike Brunson, Winemaker and Fisherman

Brunson: In 2005 we stopped inoculating with cultured yeast and made a few more changes before and during fermentation (zero temp control, smaller batch fermentation, soaking longer on the front end and pulling off skins earlier on the back end) that have given us great results.

It helps that the vines are really starting to mature as well. Out in the vineyard they’ve received a bit more nutrient in the form of fish emulsion and compost than they had prior to 2004, and the effort of our Vineyarists in cover crop and canopy management have paid huge dividends as well.

So there you have it. From the mouth of the master. And I would’ve said that is was simply magic…

Tony

p.s.  I don’t mean to be a tease but this particular wine is already long gone — we only produced 280 cases and all of it was reserved as a special treat for our Wine Bench club members. The good news? There’s more cab franc and other very special offerings on the way. Stay tuned…

These days, if you were to pull up a barstool at the Boar’s Nest in Dry Creek Valley (the local’s spot for a pint or four) and eavesdrop on the general conversation, at least some of it would probably sound like this:

Local Guy: “More rain a comin’, I hear.”
Other Local Guy: “Yup. Well, we need it.”

This would be likely be followed by silence and a lot of staring out the window into the cold wet grayness outside.

Yeah, we really DO need the rain to saturate the soil and fill the creeks, rivers and reservoirs. But you gotta admit, rain gets kinda depressing after awhile.

That’s why I felt almost giddy yesterday when the rain stopped for a few hours and the sun came out and I wandered out to the garden to find that the bees had responded instantly to the break in the weather. Hundreds of honey bees were pouring in and out of our 3 Estate hives, the ones going in loaded with colorful yellow and orange pollen collected from the first blooms of the year (mostly mustard).

That, of course, leads to the question of the day – what are those bees doing with all that pollen?

Variety of multi-colored pollen cells under a very high powered microscope.

Pollen, a powdery dust-like substance, is the male germ cell produced by various flowering plants. Pollination occurs when pollen grains are transferred from the male to the female reproductive structures. This transfer can be mediated by the wind, in which case the plant is described as anemophilous (literally “wind-loving”). Anemophilous plants typically produce great quantities of very lightweight pollen grains. Entomophilous (literally “insect-loving”) plants produce pollen that is relatively heavy, sticky and protein-rich. This type of pollen is also called “bee pollen”.

Honey bee filling pollen baskets.

Honey bees collect pollen from flowers and store it in specialized “pollen baskets” attached to their hind legs. The pollen is then formed into granules containing from one hundred thousand to five million pollen spores. These granules are the principal source of protein, fat, minerals, and vitamins essential for the growth and development of larvae. Adult bees will eat pollen but can subsist solely on honey, a pure carbohydrate diet. Each honey bee colony collects more than 60 pounds of pollen per year.

But, like honey, pollen is not just for bees…

Bee pollen is often referred to as nature’s most complete food, containing at least 18 amino acids, more than a dozen vitamins, 28 minerals, 11 enzymes or co-enzymes, 14 beneficial fatty acids and 11 carbohydrates. It is also low in calories. I guess it’s no wonder that human consumption of bee pollen is praised in the Bible, other religious books, and ancient Chinese and Egyptian texts.

Numerous tiny hairs enable honey bees to capture flower pollen on their bodies as they forage.

The alleged health benefits of bee pollen is way too huge to detail in this post but includes the treatment of seasonal allergies, fatigue, constipation, prostate diseases, sore throats, acne, wounds, asthma, arthritis, eye problems, obesity and depression. And did I mention that pollen, like our Michel-Schlumberger cabernet, is also a powerful antioxidant? And check this out — The British Royal Society of Naturalists found that mice fed exclusively bee pollen had long and healthy lives through at least several generations!

Bee pollen granules.

So does this mean we should all run out and find some pollen to nibble on? Well, maybe. I reckon that even if pollen is not the miracle food many folks claim it to be then at least its consumption will directly encourage the preservation of the rapidly declining honey bees.

Pollen granules are available on-line and at most health food stores. Fortunately, you can also opt for simply taking a few spoonfuls of pollen-laden honey everyday. The trick is to make sure to get raw, unfiltered, local honey for the very best results.

Bee Healthy!

Tony

Electron microscope image of a single pollen cell. Very cool...

“The real voyage of discovery consists of not in seeking new landscapes but in having new eyes.”

Marcel Proust

Years ago, I had just finished a SCUBA certification course in Thailand and our instructor was taking us out to a dive site noted for regular sightings of Whale Sharks, the world’s largest fish (up to 40 feet in length, in case you’re curious). But when we arrived at the spot the conditions were horrible – choppy waves had kicked up sand and underwater visibility was maybe 20 feet. There would be no whale shark sightings that day. We were all very bummed. Except for our instructor.

“I’ve been diving all over the world for over 20 years,” he told us. “Some of the very best dives I’ve ever had were in conditions much worse than this. When the water is very clear you have a tendency to look at everything at once, as a landscape. But limited visibility forces you to take a close look at all the incredible things right in front of your face. Normally, you’d float right over all the small stuff and never know it even existed.”

Needless to say, we all had an amazing dive that day.

I was reminded of this Life Lesson last week when Brunson and I were wandering the vineyard. It was late afternoon and the lighting was incredible and the recent rains had turned the hillsides green and Mount St. Helena stood out beautifully to the east and…

“Hey, check that out,” Mike exclaimed, breaking my reverie.

He pointed into the branches of the tree above us. On the edge of a limb sat a tiny Northern Pygmy Owl, maybe 6 inches tall. It was sitting perfectly still, seemingly oblivious to the chattering, irritated group of Robins perched on the other side of the tree. After a minute it dove down off the limb right toward our heads and then shot off across the vineyard and into the wilderness, chased by the Robins which were obviously anxious to get that predator off of their turf. It was the first Pygmy Owl I’ve ever seen in the wild

Maybe I learned (re-learned?) my lesson after that. Several days later I was hunting mushrooms on Serenity Hill overlooking the estate lake. I was blown away by all the shapes and sizes and varieties of fungus on the forest floor and I spent a good 20 minutes slowly strolling, head down, eyes to the earth. I jumped a bit in surprise when I nearly stepped on a large turtle, about 8 inches across, basking in the sun on the leaf litter.

I’ve seen plenty of turtles on the Estate but never close up. The turtles that hang out around the edge of the lake are very skittish and scurry into the water before you can get anywhere close. But this turtle was up on top of the hill, about 50 yards from the lake. And a very steep hill, road and drainage ditch stood between it and the lake. What the heck was it doing there? As I stood and pondered I realized that I knew virtually nothing about turtles. I picked it up for a close examination before I decided to carry it back to the water’s edge and release it. And when I got back to the office I got on the computer to do some research.

Turns out the Western Pond Turtle (Clemmys marmorata) has a lifespan of up to 40 years and is the only fresh-water turtle native to the North American Pacific Coast west of the Sierra-Cascade divide. Historically, this turtle could be found from Baja to Washington but these days the population has plummeted and believed to be virtually gone from its northern and southern range. Today, the Western Pond Turtle is listed as a Category 2 federal candidate species and The California Department of Fish and Game considers it to be a species of special concern. In short, there aren’t a lot of these guys around anymore.

I also discovered that pond turtles regularly utilize upland terrestrial habitat. Females will dig shallow nests and lay eggs on land. These turtles also regularly overwinter in uplands, burying themselves beneath the leaf litter.

What a bunch of very cool information, right? And it all started by focusing on the small picture.

So come on out to Michel-Schlumberger and check out all of the little things going on. You’ll be blown away.

Peace and Pond Turtles,

Tony

MS courtyard in the winter

To the common passerby, it may appear that most winegrowers do things exactly the same way as everyone else. Once you start to gain just a bit of viticultural knowledge, you start to realize that there are some differences. The more you learn, the more you realize that every farmer does things a little differently than the next. What are the driving forces behind these decisions that farmers make? It could be the site. It could be tradition. It could be economics. It could be an experimental block. It could be to encourage vigor. It could be to limit vigor. It could be to address a nutrient deficiency…the list is endless and in most cases, it’s a combination of all of the above. All I can tell you is why we do things the way we do. There is no right or wrong…just different (and in some cases toxic…see Tony’s post on Monsanto). I wanted to start the year with a little list of some of the things that we do differently and why we do them. Here goes:

1. We don’t burn our clippings- Most burn days fall on the most beautiful days of the winter. You start the day in awe and then at 9am the fires start and next thing you know, it’s hazy and gray. We keep our clippings and then chip them into our compost pile where they add much needed nutrients to the pile. It also forces us to turn our piles, which is critical to the success of the compost.
2. We don’t use herbicides- we use Olde English Southdown Baby Doll Sheep and handwork to address our weeds. In fact, in most cases we actually encourage undervine growth. The competition from the grasses reduces the vigor of vines. For example, Syrah is known to be very vigorous. Even when planted on vigor limiting rootstocks, it can go off. A little cover crop under the vine can slow things down a bit and provide vital cover and stability for our soils during the heavy downpours that we’re known to get here on the Westside of Dry Creek Valley.
3. Permanent cover crops- As stated above, it can help with vine balance and erosion control. In addition, we have permanent cover crop to ensure that the water that runs off of this ranch is clean and doesn’t dump loads of sediment into Wine Creek. We’ve worked very hard to restore our portion of Wine Creek (with help from Dept. Fish and Game, Trout Unlimited, Fish Friendly Farming and CA Conservation Corps) and have seen our efforts rewarded with increased Salmonid spottings. Permanent Cover Crops also contribute a slow release of nutrients into the soil and allow all the critters in the soil to establish a colony that will help over the long term. In much of our soils, you can’t take a shovelful of our soil without scooping out  2-5 worms…it’s loaded. That’s a good sign of healthy soil and healthy soil structure. Nice.

Why do we do these things? Because we believe that this is the best farming system for these ranches and our people. It supports balance in not only the vines, but both ranches as well. We are happy to move sheep or use a shovel or hoe, instead of driving a tractor spraying herbicides. We are happy to chip our clippings and reuse them, instead of burning them. Everyone knows burning stuff can be fun, but on a large scale, it just doesn’t make sense for us. All in all, we believe that this is the best system for our people, our ranches and ultimately our wines. Here’s to 2010!

Happy New Year!

Wow, that year went by crazy fast. I guess maybe that was because of all the really fun stuff that went down at the Michel-Schlumberger in 2009 (“time flies…”, after all). I guess that’s also why I’m pretty darn fired up to be back at work after a relaxing Christmas break. We’ve got so many new and cool ideas and plans that I just can’t wait to dive in and get this party started.

But before I get too carried away with plans for the future I need to take care of the now. Yesterday I went out to visit our heritage chickens and wish them a Happy New Year. I was very pleased to discover that they had a gift for me – 8 small eggs. Yes, the batch of tiny yellow newborn chicks we started with in July is now a colorful flock of egg laying adult hens (not quite full grown but getting there). In honor of our chickens (and the breakfast I’m going to have this weekend) I thought I’d revisit what’s in the coop.

Dominique

The Dominique (also known as the Dominicker) originated in the United Kingdom. It was brought to New England from southern England during colonial times and is now considered America’s oldest breed of chicken. During the early to mid 1800s the Dominique was the most popular chicken in the U.S. By the late 1800s, however, their numbers began to decline as Asiatic breeds became more popular. By 1950 the Dominiques were so rare as to be considered nearly extinct. Due to a revival of interest in them and other rare breeds, the Dominiques have made a comeback and are now listed on the “Watch” list, indicating lesser danger of extinction. Dominique hens tend to be calm and personable, making them great as show birds or family pets.

Black New Jersey Giant

The Jersey Giant chicken was developed between 1870 and 1890 by John and Thomas Black in Burlington County, New Jersey. Their original intention was to create a chicken that could potentially replace the turkey as a premium table bird. As its name implies, these chickens are impressive in size with mature roosters weighing 13 pounds and the mature hens weighing 10 pounds, making them the largest purebred chicken breed. Despite their intimidating size, Jersey Giants are extremely friendly with both pets and people.

Light Brahma

Brahmas are an Asiatic breed of chicken, originating in the Brahmaputra region in India where they were known as “Gray Chittagongs.” The first Brahmas were brought to the U.S. from India in 1846, and were used as a utility fowl for their edibility and generous egg laying and hardiness even during the winter months. This breed is “feather-footed”, meaning (obviously) that they have a small bunch of feathers growing on their feet. Brahmas are exceptionally calm (probably the mellowest of our 4 breeds). They are not skittish or easily scared, making them a popular choice for families with children.

Blue Wyandotte

The Wyandotte breed was developed in New York State in the early 1870s. The name is derived from a tribe of North American Indians. They tend to be quite friendly, and not flighty, and so make good pets for people. They are also very vocal, uttering soft clucks on a regular basis. Although all of our chickens are special I find these ladies to be perhaps the most beautiful.

Rhode Island Red

This single bird in our coop is not actually a heritage breed. Actually, it’s not even a chicken. I was quite surprised to find this rooster in the coop about a month ago. I still don’t know exactly who put the rooster in there or why (I love it when stuff like that happens). Anyway, he’s very beautiful and quite friendly. I’m no chicken expert but I’m guessing he’s a Rhode Island Red. If anyone thinks differently, please let me know…

Tony

P.S. Cool photo of the week:

I was strolling through the very cool old section of Puerto Vallarta with my Mom recently and I glanced up and saw this dog in the quatrefoil window. Nice!

It’s getting cold and dark these days. The vines are dormant and the summer crops are gone from the organic garden and I’ve resorted to using a small space heater under my desk in my heat-challenged office and many of the vineyard workers have headed South to Mexico for a much-deserved winter break. Meanwhile, the bees in our three Estate hives are mostly hunkered down, basking in 95degree warmth and chowing down on honey. Lots of honey.

Honey bees use honey as fuel to heat the hive, especially during the cold winter months when the colony has stopped foraging for the season. That’s why beekeepers only harvest a calculated fraction of the honey in a managed hive, making sure to leave plenty for the well being of the bees (an average hive needs about 35 pounds of honey to securely carry it through the winter months).

Honey is really amazing stuff. It’s one of the oldest foods in existence (it was found in the tomb of King Tut) and it never spoils! It’s also extremely precious – an average worker bee makes only about 1/12 teaspoon of honey in its lifetime. And to top it off honey is delicious — the texture and flavor varying seasonally and geographically, depending on the forage source. That’s some very cool stuff and I guess that explains why humans have hunted and collected honey for at least the past 10,000 years.

So what exactly is honey? It’s pretty simple, really. Honey bees collect nectar from blooming flowers. The nectar is temporarily stored in the bee’s “honey stomach” in which it is partially digested via special enzymes. The nectar is then regurgitated into the cells of the honeycomb, fanned by the bee’s wings to induce evaporation and concentrate the nectar, and then it is sealed with a wax cap to prevent oxidation and spoilage. In a nutshell, honey is simply concentrated flower nectar. I guess that explains why it’s so tasty. But honey is oh so much more than just delicious…

Honey has been used for just about forever to treat an incredibly long list of ailments. It has seriously potent anti-microbial properties (remember, it never spoils?). Topically, it’s great for treating wounds and helps to reduce swelling and scarring. Honey has also been used for centuries as a treatment for sore throats and coughs, and according to recent research may in fact be as effective as many common cough medicines. It’s got cancer-fighting antioxidant properties (one antioxidant, pinocembrin, is only found in honey). It is often used for treating digestive problems such as diarrhea, indigestion, stomach ulcers and gastroenteritis. It’s a natural energy booster yet recognized as a treatment for insomnia. It helps prevent cavities. And the list goes on and on (I would encourage those interested to do a simple web search for more information).

I take at least 2 fat teaspoons a day, once with breakfast and once just before bed. For me it reduces the effects of my allergies (this is related to the flower pollen found in honey). But more than that honey just seems so incredibly natural and delicious and easy to find – it seems weird not to eat it!

Probably the very best reason to take honey, though, is to help its producer — the honey bee. By now, pretty much everyone knows that Colony Collapse Disorder is threatening the honey bee with extinction. Buying and consuming local honey from your local beekeeper is one great way to support management and research of bee colonies.

It’s just that simple. And delicious.

Peace & Honey

Tony

p.s. Speaking of bees, Our first annual Bee Day At Schlumberger will be held on June 5 of next year. We’re gonna celebrate all things bees with all sorts of special tours, talks, tastings and demonstrations. Mark those calendars!

Alright folks, I’ve got some really good news this week. I’m very proud and excited to announce a brand-spanking new program at Michel-Schlumberger for 2010 – the Worms to Wine Nature Series. We’ll be hosting six fun and informative nature-related events that showcase various elements of our organic and sustainable farming practices at our Estate. We’re still working out details but in the meantime here’s a special sneak preview (remember – you heard it here first…):

MARCH: Fish Day at Schlumberger

Celebrating all things fishy, we’ll start the afternoon with a personal tour of the fish hatchery at Lake Sonoma with Ranger Michael Carroll. It’s a very cool place — we’ll meet spawning salmon and steelhead trout up close and personal. Following the tour we’ll head back to Michel-Schlumberger for a walk and talk with Winemaker Brunson along fish friendly and recently restored Wine Creek. Finally, we’ll cap it off with some really great wine and food around the fireplace inside the Estate.

APRIL: Bird Day at Schlumberger

This annual fundraiser for The Bird Rescue Center of Sonoma County is one of my very favorite events of the year. We’ve moved the event to Spring in 2010 to take advantage of the migratory species that pass through our region. Expect bird walks led by local experts, spotting scopes and feeder demos, and Audubon Society displays. The event will culminate with a fun and educational show and tell of various big raptors by the folks from the Bird Rescue Center. And if we’re lucky we’ll get Brunson to cook up those incredible garden veggie topped pizzas again!

MAY: Critter Day at Schlumberger

It takes a lot of great animals to make great wine. Come out and meet the unsung heroes of Michel-Schlumberger – our English Babydoll sheep (with a shearing demonstration), heritage chickens and a brand new pair of goats! We’ll show you how we use these animals as part of our sustainable farming system. And it’s not just the furry and feathery critters that will be on display. We’ll tour the organic veggie garden and check out the bugs, both good and bad, and learn how we help them to help us. And Jacques Schlumberger will be on hand to show folks our honey bee garden and show off our hives. Heck, you can even meet our vineyard dogs, Marvin and Peanut.

JUNE: Bee Day at Schlumberger

With the recent and alarming decline in honey bees worldwide, NOW is the time to take action and show serious support for our buzzy buddies who do more for the health of the Earth than you can possibly imagine. Look forward to an afternoon of Bee and Veggie Garden tours, demonstration hives, an observation hive, a honey extraction demonstration, honey tasting, talks by local experts and practical information on what you can do to help the bees. I highly encourage you to bee there…

JULY: Oysterama

This event proves that learning can be healthy, fun and filling. This popular event features a Nature Walk around Tomales Bay followed by a picnic feast of fresh oysters (half shell and BBQ) paired with our outstanding wines. Need I say more?

AUGUST: Stargazer’s Dinner

We’ll spend an evening feasting and sipping to a spectacular slide show presentation by a local astronomer. Then we’ll wander on up to the lake to gaze out into the heavens through some seriously pro telescopes. Nighttime at Lake Schlumberger under a blanket of stars and planets is something you simply have to experience in your lifetime. Really.

So there you have it. I’ll post details and dates as they come available. In the meantime, drink good wine.

Naturally Yours,

Tony

I’ve worked at Michel-Schlumberger for something like 14 years. It always amazes me to tell that to folks because I’ve always been the type of guy who’s always on the move. I get bored very easily and I love to learn new stuff. Status quo is my biggest turn-off. But I’m not the only one with such an affliction.

Brunson’s the kind of guy who absolutely thrives on trying anything new. Here’s a classic example – years ago I began plucking on an electric guitar and I casually remarked (joked) to Mike that he should learn to play drums so we could start a band and become rock stars. Within a few months he saved up and bought a kit, set it up in his garage and began practicing. That was about 10 years ago and now he is a rock star. The guy is crazy like that.

And it’s not just extra-curricular stuff. For all the hours both Mike and I work growing grapes and making wine we spend at least an equal amount of time thinking and pondering and dreaming of cool new stuff we can try out in the vineyard and cellar. One of the reasons this year’s harvest was extra special and fun for us was because of all the experimental stuff we had going on. Here’s one small (but fun) example from Crush 2009, complete with shots of the action!

First, we selected the very best fruit from our very best Cabernet vineyard block – 100% “Jackson Selection” cab from our organically-grown Bradford Mountain vineyard. This is the same stuff that is the base for our stunningly stellar Deux Terres Bordeaux blend.

These days the status quo in wine production is big lots of grapes fermented in huge stainless steel tanks utilizing pumps to mix the must for extraction (“pump-overs”). We decided to take a much more minimalist, old school, and hand-crafted approach to this particular wine.

Cellar Master Ramiro Leon carefully removed the heads from 3 beautiful French oak barrels and we very gently de-stemmed and crushed our prized cab grapes into the wooden vessels for fermentation. The must was “punched-down” three times daily, entirely by hand. Winemaker Brunson opted for a completely native yeast fermentation in respect for the special grapes and our very special Benchland terroir. Once fermentation was complete we carefully dumped the barrels onto a screen over a sump and Mike, Blair (our good friend and intern from Australia) and I HAND PRESSED the must. At about 20 minutes of pressing per barrel it was a lot of hard work but it was also a fine, sunny Sunday and we were having such a blast doing it and the wine tasted KILLER!!! And in the end our 6 hands pressed enough wine to perfectly top a single French oak barrel – how’s that for meant to be?

I don’t mean to be a tease – this wine will likely age in barrel for over 2 years and get another year of bottle age or so on top of that. That means there’ll be no cork popping for almost 4 more years. And if we do decide to release the wine on it’s own there will be only a precious 20 cases or so to go around (yet another reason to join our Wine Bench Club). More importantly, I think projects like these clearly demonstrate Mike’s steadfast commitment not to be steadfast. There’s always something new at Michel-Schlumberger. Bored? Why, no…

Hey folks! Really sorry I’ve been blog-free for a few weeks. As you can imagine it’s been a bit crazy with Crush in full swing the past month. But I’m back and I’m very, very pleased to announce that Harvest 2009 is officially over at Michel-Schlumberger — the last grapes were picked on Sunday, just before the dreaded typhoon storm hit Sonoma County on Monday night and dumped several inches of rain on us.

WOW, what a year! Seriously folks, I’ve worked in the vineyard and cellar of M-S for 13 years and I’ve never seen happier vines or tasted better juice. At the risk of jinxing the vintage I have to say that these will be among the finest wines ever produced by Mike Brunson (please don’t tell him I said that). I’ll elaborate on this in future posts but right now my brain is foggy and creativity is running low. What? I’m going to take the easy way out this week out and post some random camera phone shots of 2009 Crush. Check it out:

O.K., you probably can't actually see them but this shot is from the crush pad, minutes away from the end of Harvest 2009, as the pickers work their way through Bloque Loco (cabernet sauvignon).

Basura bucket.

Fermenting must in small bins. These are punched down several times each day by hand.

Brunson shows his son Zach the finer points of making wine.

Ever wonder what it looks like to clean the inside of a 12 ton press in the dark?

Intern Oren punches down some cab in an open top fermenter. Notice how the picture quality is all fuzzy -- that's what happens to your cell phone camera after you shoot pics in a dark, wet press.

This post is dedicated to Oren's dog, Gisele... A very good dog.

So Harvest 2009 is cruising along at Michel-Schlumberger. All the pinot blanc, chardonnay, pinot noir and zinfandel has been picked and squashed and is bubbling away in barrels, bins and tanks. The big reds aren’t far behind. It rained a bit yesterday (no picking today) so I have a chance to get caught up on catching people up.

Hand-picked Dijon clone chardonnay from the benchlands

Winemaker Brunson is busy walking the vineyards, sampling grapes, checking numbers, sniffing, tasting, hauling hoses, hydrating yeast, driving forklift and making the occasional beer run. But in between these activities I was able to pin him down for a quick Q & A Harvest update:

How many Harvests have you done in your life?

This is my 22nd harvest. More than half my life.

The best thing about Harvest is:

To finally have a chance to taste all of our efforts in the vineyard.

The worst thing about Harvest is:

That the growing season ends.

I know it’s early but what’s your favorite juice so far?

I have to say the Zinfandel is tasting very nice as is the Chardonnay from Bradford Mt.

What has surprised you most about the Harvest so far?

How calm things are. We have the finest crew in DCV…hands down.

Winemakers often say that they have dreams (or nightmares) about grapes during Harvest. Have you? If so, describe it.

I had one the other night. I walked over this bluff -where some of our finest Cabernet Sauvignon comes from- and everything was gone gone. Trellis wire, end posts, irrigation lines and vines…all gone. Just bare land. Even in my dream I knew that it wasn’t very realistic.

da man

What’s your favorite music to pop in the Cellar stereo in the middle of a long day of crushing?

I like reggae music. I call it musical air conditioning. Bunny Wailer’s Blackheart Man is an amazing album.

Is there any Harvest crew in Dry Creek Valley that could beat the M-S team in a game of hoops?

Winemaker Brunson doing some night dunking

Beat MS? I don’t know about that. Maybe Gallo could field a team to challenge us. They have a lot more to choose from though. Dry Creek Vineyard might have some gamers. Amongst the little wineries, probably not. Preston? Nope. Quivira? Nope. Bella? Don’t know. Unti? Probably not. Raffanelli? One of the daughters played college hoops I think, but I don’t think they have anyone else. Maybe Mauritson? I don’t know their crew that well. I think Peterson could round up a team. They just won the softball World Series. But we all know that softball isn’t the same as hoops, right?

Rumor has it that the annual Cellar and Vineyard Crew Harvest parties are legendary. True?

Yes…

We’ve all heard Winemakers go on and on about the complexities of a new vintage. I’d like one simple haiku that sums up the 2009 Harvest at Michel-Schlumberger.

Stony fruit arrives
To the careful waiting hands
Now transformation

A flock of starlings over a field. Beautiful.

Bird Rescue Center handler shows off a Great Horned Owl

Wow – talk about an OUTSTANDING event! I hope you were there because, if not, you missed the event of the season. This past Saturday we hosted Bird Day at Schlumberger – a fundraiser for the Bird Rescue Center of Sonoma County. With the super-human assistance of about 15 volunteers we were able to pull off something that was both educational and entertaining.

The action started at 9:00 AM when three local bird experts armed with binoculars, a vineyard map and coffee and breakfast treats (supplied by Downtown Bakery in Healdsburg) began leading walks around our spectacular bird-filled estate. Meanwhile, Wild Birds Unlimited of Santa Rosa had scopes set up to check out and chat about the multitude of birds on our feeders. As the birders returned they were quite pleased to find plates full of pizzas and bruschetta topped with goodies from the organic garden made by Winemaker (and chef) Mike Brunson. And, of course, there were some killer wines poured for all (and an old-school lemonade stand run by Mike’s kids, Taylor and Zack).

Red-Tailed Hawk

The highlight of the day was a presentation by the Bird Rescue Center. Four volunteer handlers busted out some incredible raptors for a fun and informative show & tell. These folks know their birds and were delighted to share their knowledge with the enthralled crowd. Who knew that the Western Screech Owl doesn’t actually screech? Or that a barn owl can actually hear the heartbeat of a mouse from a distance? Or that a turkey vulture is really an incredibly beautiful bird when you get to see one up close, eye to eye?

Some vital statistics for the day:

Total attendance: 147 (including a great turnout of kids!)

Total bird walks: 11

Total bird species identified: 25

Number of pizzas consumed: 48

Raptors displayed by Bird Rescue handlers: 6 (Kestrel, Merlin, Red-tailed Hawk, Turkey Vulture, Western Screech Owl, Great-horned Owl, Barn Owl).

Percentage of happy and enlightened guests: 100

Total raised for the Bird Rescue Center: $605

Barn Owl. Very cool.

Those are some pretty impressive numbers. And in light of the success of Bird Day we have already started to plan a whole series of Nature-related activities for next year. Stay tuned for even more cool, fun, informative and thirst quenching events in 2010. In the meantime, check out the website for a list of what else is going down at Schlumberger for the remainder of the year.

Happy Harvest!

Tony

Folks who stop by Michel-Schlumberger during the Harvest season are almost always shocked to see the Cellar and Vineyard crews drinking beer instead of wine in the afternoon after a hard day’s work. And, believe me, it’s not just us – our local little store in Dry Creek Valley can barely keep the coolers stocked with the stuff come late August. If you don’t see the Winemaker or Cellar Master around the crush pad during Harvest there’s an awful good chance he (or she) is out making a quick beer run. And why are we not sipping a nice Pinot between press cycles? Well, I guess mainly it’s because we’re working with and tasting wine all the time, every day. It’s just simply nice to mix it up – give the brain and palate a break from all that is grape.

In that spirit, this blog post has virtually nothing to do with wine. No, I’m writing about salad. Or more specifically, I’m writing about the greatest salad in the world — Salade Niçoise And I have about 20 minutes (and half a can of beer) before the next press load to do it.

As suggested by the name, Salade Niçoise is a specialty of the Cote D’Azur region of France, originating in and named for the city of Nice. There are all sorts of variations on this classic but I’m going to focus on what I know and love – my wife Lorraine’s rendition. It’s quick, cheap, easy, healthy and oh so French. So here’s how Lo rolls:

Slice up some nice heirloom tomatoes from your garden or your local Farmer’s Market. Plop ‘em down on a plate or shallow bowl. Break up nice good canned tuna over the tomatoes. Yeah, you can be all hardcore and use a seared ahi steak but, to be honest, I’ve tried both and canned is actually better in this dish. Besides, Salade Niçoise supposed to be simple and quick.

Next, dice up some fresh bell peppers, green onions, and red onions. Sprinkle liberally. Toss on some very thin slices of radish. Toss in some green or black olives. Plop on a quartered soft-boiled egg.

O.K., now for the critical last touches. In my opinion there are two types of people in this world – folks who realize the indescribable brilliance of anchovies and folks who just don’t get it. Lay down a few choice anchovy fillets right on top of the heap. Don’t be bashful. And just before you serve up your masterpiece drizzle on some balsamic vinegar and olive oil. Add a sprinkle of kosher salt. Maybe some black pepper, too.

There you have it. Light a candle, put some fresh cut flowers on the table, call up some Miles Davis on the iPod and you’ve got more than a meal – you’ve got a Salade Niçoise.

And what to drink? Well, I guess technically you could pair it with a crisp Bandol rose but that would be too predictable. Instead, I go for a bone dry Tanqueray martini with Noilly Prat vermouth. Oh my gosh…

Peace and Salads,

Tony

I’ve never had much of a good memory for childhood things but I never forgot a good (or bad) scary movie. For example, I can’t remember the name of a single one of my elementary school teachers but I can vividly recall slurping on a rootbeer float and munching on popcorn in my family’s living room when the robot Yul Brynner freaks out and starts shooting cowboy tourists in the movie Westworld.  And I certainly remember sitting with my brother in the back seat of Dad’s Chevy Caprice, trying to see around Mom’s head, gripped in horror as I watched Soylent Green at the local drive-in. Sadly, I may not remember a single line of the wedding vows I recited to my wife but Charlton Heston’s horrific proclamation is etched in my brain forever:

“It’s people! Soylent Green is made out of people! They’re making our food out of people! Next thing they’ll be breeding us like cattle for food…”

Pretty heavy stuff for a little kid. I guess it’s simply a part of our culture or maybe it’s genetic (or both) – we are fascinated by fear. And, as a kid, few movies generated more fear in me than The Swarm. If you’ve never seen it, it’s a fairly simple storyline: African honey bees invade a military complex, take down a few Army helicopters, smother a VW Bug, and really, really ruin a nice couple’s picnic. You never know where they are and when they’re coming but once they do, you know you’re toast. It’s classically horrible horror.

So with images like this impregnated in our minds from childhood it’s no wonder that most people are terrified of honey bee swarms. Fortunately, the real story is much, much different and even more fascinating than the movie.

Honey bees swarm to propagate their colonies. It’s a completely natural and normal thing. When a hive gets too stressed from health issues or overcrowding the bees will swarm — the queen bee leaves with a large proportion of the bees (maybe around 20,000!) to find a new place to set up a home. They don’t have much time. Before they leave the hive they will gorge on honey and nectar in anticipation for lean times ahead. The bees generally can go without food or shelter for only a few days.

At first the swarming bees will form a huge cluster around a tree branch or other semi-protective structure near their old home. Then, while most of the bees wait it out in the mass of the swarm (with the queen in the center), around 200 or more scout bees search the area for potential nesting sites. Successful scout bees return to the swarm and communicate specifics on distance, direction and quality of the site via a waggle dance on the surface of the swarm. Typically, numerous scouts return to the swarm, presenting the swarm with many options. The more excited a scout bee is about her findings the more excited she dances. If she can convince other scouts to check out the location she found, they may take off, check out the proposed site and promote the site further upon their return. After several hours and sometimes days, a favorite location eventually emerges from this decision making process.

Once a site is agreed upon, the trick is to communicate the decision to every other of the 20,000 bees in the swarm. It was recently discovered that the few scout bees on the surface of the swarm and “in the know” will crawl into the center of the mass, emitting a high pitched tone which is transmitted into a vibration to all other bees they come into contact with. Each bee that gets the message begins to raise her body temperature until, eventually, the entire swarm begins to “glow” with heat. Once the swarm temperature reaches about 95 degrees it “explodes” as all the bees take off into the air at the same time. Individuals that know the new location will then lead the huge, buzzing cloud of bees to their new home where wax production and nectar and pollen gathering begin immediately.

And does a honey bee swarm really create a path of death and destruction in its wake? Well, fortunately for humans and our military bases, no. Although coming across a swarm of honey bees certainly inspires awe, swarming bees are extremely mellow. Most honey bees only attack in response to intrusions against their hive. Although they may attack if they perceive a threat, most swarms are too concerned with finding food and shelter to be bothered by much of anything.

So go out and enjoy your picnic, free of fear. Just watch out for the yellow jackets…

Tony

Pinot blanc juice right from the press. Wow -- this stuff is nectar!

IT IS ON! I am extremely pleased to announce the start of the 2009 Harvest Season at Michel-Schlumberger Estate. Busy Brunson will no doubt check in soon with juicy details on the vintage but, for now, I wanted to post a quick photo series of the action.

It all began around 6:30 this morning when our very fine vineyard crew began picking the WPB block – west pinot blanc. I was hoping to get some cool shots of the crew harvesting the grapes in the beautifully misty morning but harvest prep in the Cellar took precedence (there’s always plenty of scrubbing to be done each day before the grapes hit the crush pad). So anyway, here we go. It’s Harvest 2009:

After hand-picking, Ramon drives the pinot blanc grapes down to the crush pad. I tried to get him to pose and smile but he's kinda shy...

There -- I caught him smiling!

Plump pinot blanc grapes ready to be pressed.

But before pressing the crew assembles for the annual Winemaker toast for a happy and safe vintage.

Brunson's blessing.

Sparkling wine at 9:00 AM. Tis the season!

The first load of grapes is dumped into the press.

A lovely cluster of pinot blanc.

Our first tank of juice for the vintage. Soon there will be more. A lot more...

So it all started with a little crow. I was walking my whippets (Devo & Jimi) around the neighborhoods of Santa Rosa when we were stopped in our tracks by a group of large and raucous crows in the trees above, caw-caw-cawing up a blue streak at us. After a few more steps I saw what all the commotion was about – a baby crow sitting along the edge of the sidewalk, obviously unable to fly. I quickly turned around and led my dogs away (Jimi, I reckoned, might have trouble differentiating a little crow from a little squeaky toy).

I honestly didn’t really know what to do next. But I knew that if I did nothing, the crow would certainly end up an easy cat’s meal. Once I got the dogs home I turned to the trusty phone book. I called the City for advice. They told me the crow was not dangerous to the general public and, therefore, was not their problem. They directed me to The Bird Rescue Center. Wow, I thought. I never knew such an organization existed in Sonoma County. Now I was getting somewhere.

The lady on the phone at Bird Rescue was very helpful. She informed me that the crow was almost certainly a fledgling that had left the nest too early. She said that they had many crows at the facility in the same condition and that they were usually able to nurse the baby birds back to health and release them back into the wild. Very cool, I thought. Then she instructed me to “secure” the bird in a pillow case and bring it to the Center immediately. I have to admit I was a bit taken aback. Surely (and stupidly) I thought that  there must be a team of kind-hearted bird rescue volunteers who had nothing better to do than drive around at a moment’s notice and pick up injured birds and nurse them back to health and not get paid a dime for it. Right? I was, of course, wrong.

So I grabbed a pillow case and drove back to the baby crow and “secured” it. Then I drove the little guy (or gal) out to the edge of town to the Bird Rescue Center. Two very nice ladies were waiting for me and they whisked the crow away for examination and care. Impressed and interested, I returned to the Center a week later for an open house. There were all sorts of cool birds on display — hawks, owls, falcons, osprey and vultures, as well as smaller songbirds. Trained volunteers took the birds out of the cages one by one to show them off. It was a very happy and caring place. And the most amazing thing? Nobody was making any money doing this – they were simply doing good.

So I wrote out a check and became a member and met Mary Ellen, the Community Education Coordinator for the Center. The next thing you know we’ve got the crazy/brilliant idea of hosting a bird education event at Michel-Schlumberger to raise money for Bird Rescue.

With that overblown introduction I am very proud to announce Saturday September 5 as Bird Day at Schlumberger. This is gonna be one of the greatest events of all time. Details are still being worked out but here are the basics:

9:00 AM – 11:30 AM
Tim Stewart, expert bird guy and proprietor of Wild Birds Unlimited in Santa Rosa, will be on hand with spotting scopes and binoculars to identify and chat about the numerous bird species gracing the grounds and vineyards of Michel-Schlumberger. A group of expert birders will lead short bird walks around the vineyards, lake and creek of the property. Coffee, tea and homemade zucchini bread will be provided for sustenance.

11:30 AM – 12:30 PM
Winemaker Mike Brunson will serve up homemade pizzas topped with heirloom tomatoes, peppers, garlic and basil from our organic garden. World class wines will be poured, of course, along with a lemonade stand run by Mike’s kids, Taylor and Zack.

12:30 PM – 1:30 PM
The fine folks from Bird Rescue will give a show-and-tell with some big raptors. And I mean BIG. And we’re not talking about a buncha photos and some feathers – These folks will be walking around with the birds on arm. This is your chance to meet some hawks, owls, falcons and other raptors up close and very personal, and learn firsthand about their natural history.

Seriously, is this cool or what?!? And it’s one of the precious few kid-friendly events you’ll find at a winery. As you can probably tell I’m very excited about this event. You will be, too. Mark those calendars!

Peace and birds,

Tony

As “Vineyard Biologist” at Michel-Schlumberger, this is one of the most common questions I get from visitors (and one of the toughest to answer):

“Exactly what is sustainable farming?”

Very good question. There seems to be a lot of confusion about sustainability, and for good reason – there is no simple answer. For a little help, I turned to Google.

The National Safety Council, I discovered, offers a reasonable definition:

Sustainable Farming: Environmentally friendly methods of farming that allow the production of crops or livestock without damage to the farm as an ecosystem, including effects on soil, water supplies, biodiversity, or other surrounding natural resources. The concept of sustainable agriculture is an “intergenerational” one in which we pass on a conserved or improved natural resource base instead of one which has been depleted or polluted.

That definition, I think, is a bit vague but I like it alright. Most of the other links I looked at described the term in a similar way. But as I scrolled down through a few pages of search results I came across something that really caught my eye — a link to the Monsanto website. What on earth, I wondered, does Monsanto Corporation have to do with sustainable farming? A quick perusal of the company’s homepage left me stunned. The word “sustainable” is plastered all over the Monsanto homepage, along with cute sprouting seedling icons and photos of smiling third world farmers tending their lush crops. One of the headers boldly declares:

By 2030, Monsanto commits to help farmers produce more and conserve more. That’s sustainable agriculture. And that’s what Monsanto seeds are all about.

Wow. There are so many reasons why that statement is blatantly, shockingly, horrifically untrue. First of all, ironically, even the Monsanto seeds themselves are not sustainable. Billions of people on the planet are supported by farmers who save seeds from the crops and replant these seeds the following year. Most farmers cannot afford to buy new seeds every year, so collecting and replanting seeds is simply how farming works. This is the way food has been grown successfully for thousands of years. With Monsanto’s terminator technology, however, seeds have been genetically-engineered so that when the crops are harvested, all new seeds from these crops are sterile. This forces farmers to pay Monsanto every year for new seeds.

And Monsanto’s genetically modified “Roundup Ready” seeds simply encourage more herbicide spraying which results in more erosion, less soil fertility, the promotion of “super weeds” and a buildup of toxic chemicals in our food and water. That’s not very sustainable.

But enough quibbling over the semantics of sustainability. I was looking for the very guts of Monsanto Corporation. What’s it all about? What makes it tick? I took a look at their official Mission Statement. It starts off:

Our Pledge. Growth for a Better World. We want to make the world a better place for future generations.

Then that’s followed by a whole lotta silliness on how caring they are for the poor farmers all over the world. Interestingly, on the same menu bar as this mission statement is a button to access updated stock performance charts. Now that’s convenient. You see, Monsanto is a corporation. Its mission is to make money. A lot of money. How many Monsanto executives really are deeply concerned with making the world a better place for future generations? Do investors sit and discuss all the worldly good they’ve done at their board meetings? I doubt it. After all, these are the same fine people who brought us Agent Orange and still, to this day, deny that the toxic herbicide has any negative health effects, other than a possible skin rash. From 1962 to 1970, the US military sprayed 19 million gallons of herbicides, mostly Agent Orange, on over one million Vietnamese civilians and over 100,000 U.S. troops. As a result, within ten years of the close of the war, 9170 veterans had filed claims for disabilities caused by Agent Orange. In 2002, Vietnam requested assistance in dealing with the tens of thousands of birth defects due to Agent Orange. In order to avoid medical compensation expenses, Monsanto continues to claim this now banned chemical is not toxic. Real caring people at Monsanto.

Anyway, I know there are a lot of intelligent and caring  people who disagree with my not-so-favorable impression of Monsanto. It is a very complicated issue and I would certainly urge everyone to take the time to read up on the claims by all sides and decide for yourselves. But I think it all really boils down to one simple question:

Who are you going to trust with the health of yourself and the environment – your friend and neighbor the small sustainable farmer or Monsanto Corporation?

Tony

P.S. Out of sheer, morbid curiosity I couldn’t help checking out the Monsanto gift shop on the website. For a very reasonable $4.05 you can purchase a nice ball cap printed with the phrase:

Monsanto
Imagine

I guess I’ve got an overactive imagination. Surely, any reference to the John Lennon song is completely unintentional. They couldn’t really sink that low, could they? It’s hard for me to imagine.

This morning I awoke to the pleasant sound of clucking chickens. That’s not an especially novel sound to me as Michel-Schlumberger has maintained a happy flock for years. But, alas, I don’t live on the estate. In fact, I live on a very small lot on a very busy street smack dab in the middle of the city of Santa Rosa. That’s right – my neighbor’s birds are city chickens.

And it’s not just poultry that are new to the neighborhood. Suddenly, it seems as if small urban veggie gardens are popping up everywhere. In general, nursery sales to city dwellers in the U.S. are way up these days. This is partly due to the obsessive nature of hard core gardeners as myself, but mostly because Americans are tightening their belts and eschewing daily runs to Safeway and Taco Bell in favor of growing and harvesting food themselves. The growing awareness of environmental issues doesn’t hurt the cause, either.

Whatever the reason, it’s very cool indeed to see more people growing their own food. And it’s remarkable to see chickens roaming freely in a backyard instead of being “mass produced” in enormous warehouses packed with dark, tiny cages. But, really, the most amazing thing is that today’s chicken is probably one of the few examples in the world of an animal species actually increasing in diversity. And why is this?

Well, industrial breeders select from only a very small pool of poultry breeds. These breeds are the ones that fatten up quick and lay the most eggs and suffer confinement well. Fortunately, backyard chicken enthusiasts and small scale farmers have begun to recognize the importance of the heritage breeds, many of which are more flavorful, lay multi-colored eggs and are more attractive than the chickens laying all those eggs that fill the shelves at Safeway.

And with that, I’d like to introduce you to the latest additions to our ever-growing flock of chickens – we received our latest batch of heritage breed newborn chicks just last week.

Dominique

The Dominique, also known as the Dominicker, originated in the United Kingdom. It is considered America’s oldest breed of chicken, having been brought to New England from southern England during colonial times. Sadly, by 1950 the breed was so rare as to be considered nearly extinct. Fortunately, due to a revival of interest in rare breeds, the Dominiques have made a bit of a comeback in the past few years.

Blue Wyandotte

The Wyandotte originated in the United States. The first examples of the breed appeared in 1870s. Wyandottes tend to be quite friendly, and not flighty, and so make good pets for people. They are also very vocal, uttering soft clucks on a regular basis. There are a total of 17 colors within the breed.

Light Brahma

Brahmas are an Asiatic breed of chicken, originating in the Brahmaputra region in India, and are believed to be closely related to the Jungle Fowl (Gallus Gigantus). The first Brahmas were brought to the U.S. from China in 1846. A very beautiful bird.

Black New Jersey Giant

The Black Jersey Giant Chicken breed is largest chicken produced in the US — Cocks are generally 13 pounds, hens are 10 pounds. This heavy fowl was developed between 1870 and 1890 by John and Thomas Black in Burlington County, near the town of Jobstown, New Jersey. Despite its intimidating size, this chicken is known to be quite mellow and friendly.

Heritage chickens, English Babydoll sheep, honey bees, barn owls, moon & stars watermelon, mosquitofish… the goodness continues at Michel-Schlumberger. Come on out and check out the life.

Tony

P.S.

Lab results from the Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education (SARE) found that the eggs of pastured chickens contained 34% less cholesterol, 10% less fat, 40% more vitamin A, twice as much omega-6 fatty acid, and four times as much omega-3 fatty acid as the USDA egg standard. Anybody shocked?

I don’t know about you but I’ve always wondered –What happens if you give a honey bee cocaine?  Well, fortunately, researchers at the University of Illinois have recently come up with the answer.

The study was fairly straightforward.  Scientists applied tiny drops of cocaine solution to the bee’s backs and then monitored their dance communication system, which is used to tell other bees about the quantity, quality and location of a food source.

The researchers found that the bees on cocaine ate less and danced much more enthusiastically than normal.  (Just like humans?).  But, interestingly, the dancing of the drugged bees wasn’t simply an expression of unstructured hyperactivity.  The research team demonstrated that only the foraging honey bees dance on cocaine, that these bees don’t move more than other bees except during the dance and that the dances of coked up bees still accurately depict the location, quantity and quality of the food.

“It’s not like they’re gyrating wildly on the dance floor out of control,” said one researcher. “This is a patterned response. It gives distance information, location information. That information is intact.”

So, really, what’s the point?  Well, the conclusion was that honey bees on cocaine dance more because of the altruistic high it gives them.  In other words, the bees are getting a buzz off of being nice to each other.

I don’t know if this research will have any significant lasting impact in the World of Science but I do know that honey bees work up a mighty thirst with all that dancing.  Bees, in fact, seek and collect quite a bit of water to carry back to the hive every day, especially in the hot summer months.

Which brings me to the point of today’s post – the unveiling of the Michel-Schlumberger Bee Fountain!  As usual, we’re very proud.

The fountain sits in the center of our circular and extremely floriferous Bee Garden, practically at the doorstep of our 3 hives (probably around 60,000 bees).  It’s made from recycled stuff from the vineyard and it’s powered by a small solar panel.  It’s not big, but doesn’t need to be – just a steady trickle of water over a small pile of flat rocks is the perfect thirst quencher for bees and birds (and raccoons and fox and dogs and cats).  A few aquatic plants and mosquito fish were the final touches to aid in purification of the water.

And I swear this is true.  When at last I had set the final rock in place and plugged in the solar panel to start the fountain flowing I stood and stepped back to bask in the gurgling glory.  Right then a beautiful western bluebird swooped down from the oak tree and landed on the fountain, just 3 feet from where I stood.  The bird took several long, happy drinks of water.  Then a large squawking scrub jay dove down and chased the bluebird off to do the exact same thing.

That, I figure, is an auspicious beginning.

Tony

I just got back from an afternoon in the vineyard, hiking around and keeping track of bloom (underway in the chardonnay, pinot noir and pinot blanc right now).  Have I mentioned that it’s incredibly beautiful out there in the vineyard?  And although it’s quite easy to get caught up in the grand scheme of things in the vineyard – the soaring turkey vultures, the shimmering lake with serenely-floating geese, the very happy acres of grapevines — it’s the little things that were the focus of my attention today.  I spent quite a bit of time literally crawling through the clover, vetch and native grasses cover crop looking at bugs.  And I’m very happy to say that it’s another big bug year at Schlumberger!

In past posts I’ve written (some might say “harped on and on”) about the importance of beneficial insects at Michel-Schlumberger.  Prepare for more harping.  In this post I’d like to personally introduce you to some of my hard working buddies in the vineyard and garden.

This is an adult lacewing.  It’s a beautiful bug.  They feed on flower nectar, which is one big reason we plant plenty of wildflowers in the vineyard and garden.  Amazingly, this lovely and harmless insect will lay eggs that produce a voracious predator of all sorts of soft-bodied pests.

This lacewing larvae is doing some serious damage to an unfortunate aphid.  Kinda looks like something out of a Godzilla movie.  Except a lot smaller.

This is a soldier beetle.  It’s constantly crawling and flying and it’ll eat nearly every pest in its path.

Also know as “Lady Bugs”, these classic beneficial insects aren’t very lady-like.  Both adults and larvae are voracious predators of bad bugs.

These tiny guys (the parasitic wasp) take a more indirect approach to pest control. Certain types of plants have compounds that work in part with the saliva of caterpillars. When the saliva of the caterpillar and the juices of the plant mix, a fragrance is emitted that certain parasitoid wasps are very attracted to. The parasitoid wasps then kill the caterpillars and lay eggs inside the carcass.  The young hatch and then…well, you can guess the rest.

Maybe my favorite of all the good bugs.  Also know as a “hover fly”, these beautifully shiny little Syrphidflies lay their eggs near colonies of soft bodied pests.  The maggots hatch and a feeding frenzy ensues.

Seriously cool bug.  Wow. The Snakefly.

These guys are extremely fun to watch.  They hover as they sip flower nectar.  They’ve always reminded me of tiny fuzzy hummingbirds. Not to be confused with a bee — it is the Bee Fly.

  The Honey Bee! I took this photo in one of our chardonnay vineyard blocks.  This girl is foraging for pollen or nectar on a mustard flower.  I just had to show it off…

So there they are.  And there are actually quite a few more.  And they’re everywhere in the vineyard and garden at Michel-Schlumberger right now.  And we’ll do everything possible to nurture them.  Conventional farming practices encourage spraying of herbicides and pesticides (organic or not) which kill these good bugs and eliminate their food and habitat.  This type of farming, to me, is lazy and senseless.  These guys are on our side.  Besides, how could anyone want to wipe out entire populations of tiny fuzzy hummingbirds?

Pictures are fun and all but I highly recommend visiting these very good bugs in their own home.  Come out to our garden and take a stroll.  You’ll find flowers teeming with all of these good bugs.  And you’ll find seriously great wine.

Tony

Last spring, at one of the many fun festivities under the oak tree at Michel-Schlumberger, I overheard a bemused young woman as she wandered through the organic vegetable garden.

“This garden is a mess!”

Ouch.  That wasn’t one of the better compliments I’ve received on my gardening but it did get me thinking.  And I can kinda see her point.  I’ve seen plenty of Sunset Magazine gardens — Perfectly manicured raised beds of color coordinated crops in neat rows.  Comparatively, our garden is certainly on the wild side.  And what makes a wild garden?

I’m fairly casual about weeds.  I try to go after the big, invasive ones before they re-seed.  I also clean out the weeds right around the vegetables to reduce competition.  But, really, is it worth the time and energy to obsessively pick at every last little weed in the garden?  Besides, some of those “weeds” may not be so invasive and may actually provide food and habitat for beneficial insects (plantain is a good example).

My planting rows aren’t perfectly straight and the beds are bumpy.  And the sight line of my tomato stakes and cages is certainly no picket fence.  What can I say?  I’ve never seen too many straight lines in nature.

In any given season there are all sorts of vegetables and herbs in my garden that have bolted and gone to bloom.  Most gardeners avidly pinch their herbs to prevent bolting.  And most harvest all of their plants before they go to seed.  I try to always let a few plants in each crop fully mature to seed.  For one thing, beneficial bugs and pollinators LOVE veggie and herb flowers.  Right now there is a patch of incredibly beautiful blooming broccoli that is teeming with honeybees, bumble bees, bee flies, tiny wasps, syrphid flies and soldier beetles.  These are the good guys and that’s exactly what I want to encourage in my garden.  Also, by letting veggies go to seed I’m blessed with all sorts of “volunteers” each season – veggie plants that pop up unexpectedly from seeds set by the previous crop.  I suppose some might think it looks messy to have lettuce and cilantro plants popping up among the garlic but I think it looks perfectly natural.  Again, look to the wild – not too much orderly segregation of plants species out there in the woods.

In short, my idea of the perfect garden is one that is as wild as possible.  I want it to look natural, not sterile and linear.  I don’t mean to criticize those gardeners who have perfect little rows of gravel-lined raised redwood planting beds.  Everything has its place.  Gardening, I think, is a very personal thing.  And just as some folks are happiest with a perfectly clean and organized desk there are others (like me) who do just fine with a desk covered with stacks of papers, old junk mail, numerous dried up pens and several empty tea cups.  Diversity – you gotta love it.

Natural Farming.  Savage Hills.  Worms to Wine.  All that good stuff.  Come on out and get wild.

Tony “Green Thumb” Wasowicz