Our own vineyard is located in Annapolis, at the northwest end of the West Sonoma Coast, far from the winery. This vineyard produces wines with a bright ruby color and aromas of wild strawberries, raspberries and a hint of anise. The taste is layered and well-integrated with blueberries, cranberries and bergamot. The acidity and silky texture in the base add to the long finish, and there is also a complex taste of subtle red clay and wet soil. 2021 is one of the best vintages in memory. The fruit has a concentrated flavor, the harvest went smoothly, and most importantly, the wines are exquisitely balanced, nuanced and lively. Record low rainfall throughout the growing season, combined with a cold winter, delayed bud break. However, despite a cool start to the year, the rest of the season was warm and free of bad weather. For example, the warm and mild weather in May led to a short, compact flowering period and uniform fruit set. The berries were ideally small in size and in moderate clusters. Meanwhile, cool summer mornings and warm afternoons allowed the berries on the vines to ripen slowly and physiologically at perfect ripeness. Harvesting began as scheduled at 12:01 a.m. on September 6th and continued smoothly for six weeks, producing energetic and flavorful grapes. Paul Hobbs, who first worked in brewing at Robert Mondavi in 1978, was assigned to the brewing team at Opus One the following year, 1979, and brewed Opus One's first vintage. In 1981, he became the brewing team leader and spent four years there. He then served as vice president and brewing manager at Simi Winery in Sonoma, before going independent as a brewing consultant. In 1991, he began making his own wine, which he had always dreamed of. His wines have been praised around the world, and he is known as one of the leading brewers of this century as a genius brewer.