Dear Casa Carmen Family,

As always, I want to thank you for being part of this family. The past few months have been filled with successes and with the intensity that naturally comes with them. The opening of the Bodega tasting room downtown has given us a place to be together and we are humbled by the love we receive from you every day when we open the doors. We wouldn’t change that for anything.

As we approach harvest, we are gearing up for the busiest time of the year and without a doubt the most important one. The next three months will be filled with anticipation and obsession over weather systems, meticulous observation of the ripening berries, and the careful preparation of equipment and staff for the defining moment when grapes begin arriving at the winery.

But through all the hard work we never lose sight of the enjoyment and friendship that our labor helps foster. It is said that ancient inhabitants of the Roman province of Hispania were known for their uncanny mispronunciation of the word vivere (to live) as bibere (to drink). This is why Julius Caesar used to say “Beati hispani quibus vivere est bibere” (Lucky the ‘Hispanians’, for whom living is drinking). This too is the spirit in which we live on this side of paradise, and we hope that our wines help you with the Quixotic enterprise of enjoying life in the modern world.

Salud,

Enrique Pallares