As winter fades, a bottle of this Winter's Hill Pinot Noir makes for a great companion for looking back on what you've accomplished... or what you haven't.

Long ago, in a distant garden, there was a mole. A cuddly little mole. And on a crisp winter's night, that mole looked up at the sky, and made himself a pledge. "I pledge," he said in his tiny adorable voice, "to build the greatest mountain the world has ever seen." And even though no one heard his itty bitty voice, the mole knew: he was going to succeed.

On the first day, the mole decided to prepare. He ordered a 6-pack of Winter's Hill Pinot Noir. Appropriate, he felt, since at the end of winter he would have a hill the size of Mount Everest! What a celebration that would be! The mole went to bed that night thrilled with what he would accomplish, and dreamed of the spicy red berry flavors with a hint of white pepper.

On the second day, the mole began to dig! His tiny paws threw the dirt high into the air and it landed in a little mound! But around lunchtime, he was ever so tired. "Whew!" he thought. "But a strong beginning indeed!" And then he watched TV and relaxed so he wouldn't overdo it and pull a muscle.

On the third day, the mole intended to dig, but he had to go find some food to eat. He also decided to open one of the six bottles of 2009 Pinot Noir, just to make sure it would be good enough for the big day. And it was! What a party he was going to have then! And tomorrow, of course, he would dig a tremendous amount.

Two weeks in, the mole sat down and revised his schedule with a glass of his vivid red Oregon Pinot Noir. Maybe if he worked on weekends and holidays, he could balance the needs of his day-to-day life with the goal of his dreams. Surely it was doable if he scaled down the mountain by half. Just finishing a fourth of a mountain would be impressive, honestly. The tiny mole wondered if he could get an investor and subcontract the labor.

After three months, the mole had finished most of the Pinot. He had a decent little molehill out back, maybe not a mountain, but certainly bigger than the hill of any other mole on his street. Except his diagonal neighbor, but that mole had inherited a half-finished hill from his rich dad. Anybody could have achieved with THAT kind of background! The little mole sat back in his easy chair and opened the final bottle of the six pack of 2009 Winter's Hill Pinot Noir and raised a toast. To vision! To the mountain!

And, as he fell asleep, the mole decided that he'd redouble his efforts. Right after beach season ended. Maybe late September. Or around Halloween.

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