Harvest Highlight: Lauren Lyall

Blog Post

July 2026

Harvest is nearly as notable as the pop of a cork. It’s certainly one of the highlights of the grape-to-glass process, from the anticipation of a pick to the whirlwind in the cellar. As we approach the harvest season, however, we’d like to take a closer look at all that goes into harvest. In this series of posts, we’ll highlight the harvest heroes at Ridge Vineyards: the members of our vineyard and production teams who masterfully conduct the symphony of tasks necessary to harvest the grapes from our estate and partner vineyards, then initiate the winemaking process.

Lauren Lyall, Assistant Winemaker at Monte Bello

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1. What was your first vintage with RIDGE? Can you recall something specific about the season you joined or what made that vintage unique?

My first vintage with RIDGE was 2023. One of the first things that stood out to me was how much attention is given to every individual lot—and there are many! There are no shortcuts. Every picking decision, fermentation, and blending choice is made with quality at the forefront. It was exciting to experience a harvest with so many distinct estate blocks and vineyard sites, each expressing itself differently, and to spend the season learning what makes each one unique.

2. Please briefly describe your role leading up to and through the harvest season.

Harvest activities really start months before the first grapes are delivered to the crush pad. Throughout the growing season, we walk the vineyards evaluating vine health and fruit development, reviewing maturity samples, and working closely with our vineyard team to determine picking dates.

Leading up to harvest, a big part of my job is preparing the winery—making sure equipment, tanks, barrels, supplies, and harvest logistics are all in place before the pace picks up. Once fruit starts arriving, every day revolves around evaluating incoming fruit, monitoring fermentations, tasting ferments and deciding when each lot is ready to press, and continually adapting as the season unfolds.

No two vintages are ever exactly alike, and that’s one of the things I enjoy most. Every harvest presents a new set of opportunities and challenges, and there’s always something new to learn.

3. What’s one of your favorite vineyards to visit this time of year and why?

Our estate vineyards at Monte Bello are hard to beat. The vineyard blocks span a remarkable range of elevations, from Jimsomare, our lowest-elevation vineyard, to Perrone, our highest. Each ranch has its own unique microclimate and environmental influences, so no two blocks ripen exactly the same. Watching those differences unfold as harvest approaches is one of the most exciting parts of the season.

Being able to walk the blocks where our flagship wine is grown never gets old. Standing on the edge of the crush pad early in the morning, looking out over the Santa Cruz Mountains before the day’s fruit arrives, is a daily reminder of how fortunate I am to work in such a special place.

4. Do you have any rituals to kick off, endure, or wrap up the season?

With the first fruit delivery, we all gather around the crush pad for a celebratory toast to kick off harvest, which is always a fun tradition. Long days are fueled by plenty of harvest snacks, communal meals, and a rotating playlist of energetic music that echoes throughout the winery and keeps everyone’s spirits high.

At the end of harvest, we celebrate with a few traditions of our own, including a harvest intern dinner to recognize all of our incredible seasonal team members. We also hold a company-wide harvest party at our Monte Bello tasting room with catered Mexican food, a mariachi band, and, of course, plenty of great wines to enjoy together.

5. What’s one aspect of your role/department that you are proud to have developed in your tenure at RIDGE?

I’m proud of the systems we’ve built to make the winery more organized and better prepared with each vintage. Over the past few years, I’ve focused on improving the flow of daily operations, updating our standard operating procedures, strengthening our data management, and refining our cost tracking. Much of that work happens behind the scenes, but it helps the entire team make better decisions and spend more time focused on crafting great wines.

6. What do you hope for this 2026 harvest?

I hope for a steady growing season that gives us the opportunity to pick each block at its optimal time, without the stress of major heat waves or precipitation events. Those vintages usually produce the most balanced and expressive wines. I also hope none of our critical equipment decides to break down… though that might be asking a little too much! Most importantly, I hope everyone stays safe through the long and challenging days ahead.

Harvest is an exciting time because it’s where an entire year’s worth of work in the vineyard comes together. Every grape cluster that arrives at the winery represents months of care from our vineyard crews, and from that point forward it’s our job in the winery to preserve everything the vineyard has provided us.