Last week I went to check the growth of our grapes in the Uco Valley, Mendoza, which are growing directly next to our property, and they have started ripening (envero en Espanol)! The Merlot grapes are pictured and they should be ready to harvest around the second half of March. 
The grapes are growing very well and have not been overexposed to the sun, a small preliminary concern of mine. This means that we have not over-pruned the leaves during canopy management.
In a couple weeks we will green harvest the grapes. This involves throwing out the clusters of grapes that are either too ripe or not ripe enough so that the grapes will all have homogenous levels of maturity. Green harvesting improves concentration of color and flavors by directing the energy of the vines to only the optimum grape clusters. Ultimately resulting in better wine, green haversting is a common practice for most fine wine producers in Argentina and around the world.
We are only two months away from harvest and Vendimia!
In order to plant vines on the Private Vineyard Estates the land must be cleared. Over the past 10 days we have cleared 25 acres of brush (scrubs, cactuses, large bushes and small trees) at the property in the Uco Valley. There are now three machines working on the property, focused on the west end and clearing the land specifically for the Private Vineyards.
The land clearing has allowed me to view the soil structure on a larger scale. The soil structure in many places is even better than we had originally expected, with a higher ratio of sand to stones. The higher proportion of sand means that the roots of the vines will be able to grow to a greater depth and there will be better drainage. The higher concentration of sand will also let us exercise tighter control over future vineyard irrigation and fertilization.