Merlot in.  The berries looked amazing.  Saw it crushed, de-stemmed, put in bin.  Dry ice for cold soak, just like Katie and I did it last harvest.  Felt almost second-nature to me, when it was happening, like I didn’t need help.  I start punching-down Sunday at the earliest.  The only thing I didn’t do was add the sulfur.  The crew did that for me.  But, the cellar master shared the equation so I could put it into notes.  So excited this happened as fast as it did.  Thinking this Merlot might be better than 11MKCS.  But I’ll see.  2 glasses left of last night’s ’07 Merlot.  Hoping it shows a bit more dynamism.  Not that it was bad, it simply failed to leave impression.

Limiting Self in this entry.  Need to focus on writing I can “sell.” Much of what I thought about on that crush pad, watching the gondolas roll in with their cluster piles, my fruit fly through that tube.  Need to audit stash upstairs.  Guestimating it’s around $300.  Maybe.  Have no idea, like I said.. haven’t audited in some time.  But I don’t want to think about money right now.  Only Art.  Creating.  The process.  For the Ox to be FREE from his Bottle, he need tighten the currency belt.  I shouldn’t have to pay for writing projects.  Not yet, anyway.  Comp Book, in bag at right, calling me.  Listened to a lot of spoken word to/from winery, today.  Thinking about this union I’ve Self-prided in wine, Literature.  4ever vinoLit …

The hotel’s wine list didn’t impress Mike.  It de-pressed him.  He wanted something musical.  But why didn’t he just order?  Maybe he’d get that one bottle that was markedly staggering.  Bottle variance could work in his favor, couldn’t it?  He ordered an ’08 Cab, Sonoma Valley.  A bottle, to his Room.  He started writing.  He was set on testing himself, seeing if he could get 500 words into his project before the knocks.  500 words, how would he measure that?  He only had legal sheets.

[10/19/12]