This has been a vintage year in so many ways and until now I have not had the time or opportunity to talk about any of it. First of all, my husband and I welcomed our first child, Nathaniel, in October. It has changed our lives dramatically and we have spent the last 8 week getting to know him. I would not have traded this time for anything.

The second major event this year was that I have finally passed the theory section of the MW exam. For those of you who have followed my blog over the past few years, you have read about my frustration with this particular section of the exam (for those who are new just look under the “MW studies” classified posts). It’s such a relief to only have the practical section of the exam left. I almost passed it this past time with a B, C, and C on the tasting exams respectively. Time to buckle down and get it done this next go round.

Finally, I am happy to announce that I am starting a new chapter in my career, in January, as the new red winemaker at Robert Mondavi Winery. I am completely thrilled and humbled by this new opportunity. I have always been inspired by Mr. Mondavi’s viewpoint towards wine, food, and family and it has significantly influenced my personal path through the wine industry. I’m also excited about working with the team at Mondavi including Genevieve and Rich to help continue the legacy that Mr. Mondavi left for us. The vineyards and the winery are completely inspiring and I’m looking forward to getting to know all aspects of them.

Of course with every new chapter in life, another one must close. My time with Souverain, Chateau St. Jean, Beringer Knights Valley, and Emma Pearl is coming to an end. I’ve met and worked alongside so many great people and I will miss them all. I thoroughly enjoyed working with my fellow winemakers at Treasury Wine Estates. They are an amazing team. I want to particularly say that I’m very honored that so many of them trusted me with their wines and I always tried to treat them as they would have. I am eternally grateful to Ed Killian for sharing his extensive knowledge of winemaking and life in general whenever I had a question.

So in the spirit of new chapters, I am once again going to make a pledge to write a post once a week. To my long time readers, thanks for sticking with me. To my new readers, thanks for coming and if you have wine questions you’d like answered don’t hesitate to mention them.

Here’s to a fantastic year!