Crush is word cellar rats use for harvest, because you are doing something you love. Sun up to sundown The grape harvest crushes you, stemming crushing, pressing into the night.
In Oregon no one had done more harvests than Richard Sommers. In 1961 he began, he probably harvested more UW Coeds on their way to Napa than he worked vintages.
Just before harvest he fired beautiful Patti, a very good winemaker because he wanted to be the Winemaker. The other Workers quit. He and I stemmed and crushed 1,500 gallons.
Onto my truck he was a Winemaker into the Night; Sauvignon Blanc a difficult vertical for excellence. In the Umpqua valley those days everyone seemed Stoned.
Richard achieved focus making lunch. A hard day for a large crew he went to the computer, focused enough to make a bill of sale and a waybill.
Professionally enough for any winemaker in Crush, his Sauvignon Blanc would have made the gest Graves.
Later after the Crush he was committed, found insane. Why, I asked? He wanted to be the winemaker!
He fired the beautiful Patti Green.
He wanted to be the winemaker.
Insane!
