Family

The Boys of D.C.

Recently, I traveled to Washington, D.C., to take care of my teenage grandsons and their two friends while the parents got to play. I was so completely knocked out by how great these four teenagers were that I wrote a note to their parents. And sure, everyone thinks their grandkids are great. But keep reading and you'll find out why this was such a special weekend:

Bottling the 2013 Wines at Gantz Family Vineyards

This morning Celeste and I bottled our 2013 wines. I’ve been making wine for a long time for my family and friends, but the whole texture of it has changed since we planted our vineyard and moved to the Russian River Valley.

Rock Climbing at Sunset Boulders on the Sonoma Coast

One of the coolest summertime activities was rock climbing on the Sunset Boulders at Goat Rock State Beach along the Sonoma Coast. Our oldest grandson, Gabriel, got into rock climbing a couple of years ago and even inspired his Grandpa Clay to join a rock climbing gym here in Santa Rosa. Sunset Boulders provided a beautiful, outdoor spot for all of us to act like mountain goats.

Wells Fargo Center Offers World-Class Entertainment

The scenic and bountiful land, the world-recognized wine and food, and the warm-hearted people make us feel blessed to live in this nook of Sonoma County. Recently, we’ve been enjoying another benefit of this area: we are just three right turns and a 12-minute drive from the world-class entertainment offerings of the Wells Fargo Center for the Arts in Santa Rosa, Calif.

A Summer Party on Gantz Family Vineyards

On a perfect-blue-sky day in August, we celebrated a special family birthday on Gantz Family Vineyards. Friends and family who traveled from near and far made the party spectacular.  And it never would have been so carefree and fun without the incredible skills of the professionals we hired to help us with this event. They include...

Summer Fun in Sonoma with Grandkids

We were again fortunate to have our grandchildren stay with us for several weeks. As they grew into their teens, we were concerned that keeping them entertained and interested was going to be more of a challenge. Once again, Sonoma County came through with more terrific things to do and wonderful places to eat. 

New Vineyard Expansion = More Quality Fruit

When we originally planted the back block on the vineyard (Block 5), Celeste was adamant about the balance between grape rows and open space. But after a few not-so-subtle hints from me, a few carefully-chosen words from our social media manager and the promise of a larger supply of quality Pinot Noir fruit (which appealed to her bookkeeping nature), Celeste relented. We've just finished planting a small addition to our Block 5 vineyard.