We moved to Rancho Santa Fe, CA in March, 2021

Check our web sites for updates: www.eaglehillgroup.net and wwww.eaglehilladvisor.com We do Venture Capital and Management Consulting. We now are in Rancho Santa Fe, CA.

Summer ending in the Village of La Jolla.

Firm closed and Peter's retirement, October 2017

Peter T. Cacioppo closed his Eagle Hill Wealth Management firm on 10-11-2017. He then retired on 10-12-2017.

New house on Ivanhoe Ave

Rhonda and I became aware of a new house that was just completed at the end of 2013 right in the heart of the old Village. We made an offer and moved in January of 2014. Our new address is 7736 Ivanhoe Avenue, La Jolla, CA 92037. It has a large roof deck, a garage with storage, an elevator, and it is only 2 blocks to Prospect Street.

Move to La Jolla, CA (San Diego)

Took 2 years but we finally found a decent buyer for our house/ranch/vineyard up north in the San Francisco area. We permanently moved on January 9, 2013, our new address in La Jolla (San Diego) is: 7404 Eads Ave., La Jolla, CA 92037-5036 (Right in the old Village of La Jolla near Pearl Street, thus we and our 2 German Shepherd Dogs can walk to the shops and parks). Three blocks from the Tennis Courts so that is good also; if anyone comes to this area we are always ready for a tennis game; both Rhonda and I are rated USTA 3.0. Our house was built in 2001 so it is in good shape. Our backyard is a lot smaller than the Moraga one. I have an office here for Eagle Hill Wealth Management but Rhonda is retired.

Release of 2009 Harvest-Meritage Blend

On November 26, 2011 we released a special 2009 Eagle Hill blend using some Petit Verdot grapes from the custom micro-crusher, Captain Vineyards, Moraga, CA. Delivered price is $50.00 a bottle or $500 a case (12 bottles, or $41.66 a bottle, a 16% discount.) Review the below Wine Labels for further details and then give us a call.
Here is the label:

Lunch for October 16, 2010 Harvest Participants

s Harvest Lunch October 16, 2010

Appetizers
Caprese Salad: Eagle Hill Tomatoes, Eagle Hill Basil, Olive Oil, Mozzarella

Crab Cake Minis with a dab of Thousand Island dressing

 Avocado slices with French dressing and lemon juice Gouda slices 

 Suggested wine for the above: Bolla Delle Venezie/Tipica 2009 Pinot Grigio (Italy) 


Brie with Peach Jam on heated baguette/olive oil, suggested wine is Saintsbury Garnet Carneros 2009 Pinot Noir (Napa, CA)


Comte slices, suggested wine is Yalumba Eden Valley 2009 Viognier (Australia)

Entree

Eagle Hill Belted Galloway Teriyaki Beef Skewers

Served with Eggplant Parmigiana and an assortment of vegetables

Ciabatta Bread, heated with butter

Suggested wines are Newton Claret 2007 (Merlot/CabSauv/Cab Franc/Syrah) (St. Helena, CA) and Del Dotto Cave Blend 2006 (Merlot/Cab Franc/Cab Sauv) (Napa, CA)

Desserts, Cheese, Liquors

Cheesecake with strawberry topping 
Vanilla Ice Cream, 29% fat, with whipped cream 
Blue Cheese, suggested wine is Chateau Saint-Michel 2007 Sauternes (Gironde-Bordeaux, France) 
Wide Assortment of After-Dinner Liquors

Thank you for your help and don’t forget your bottle of wine to take home!

Results of Harvest at Eagle Hill and then Crush at Captain Vineyards

The harvest/crush/destem happened Saturday Oct. 16th as planned.  We had 18 people working away for 3 hours in the vineyard, luckily the temperature was not hot.  Special thanks to Pat and Owen Lammers (home hardscape/irrigation, 925-408-0564) for volunteering to unclip the bird nets so we could harvest more efficiently.  Also, special thanks to Gerrit Brands (my IT consultant, 951-312-4009) for also doing the nets and being very helpful on a number of things on Saturday.   Many of the people had never helped at a crush and destemming and commented that it was a very interesting procedure.   Once again, sorry about all the postponings of the harvest day.  Those who attended enjoyed the lunch (complete with Eagle Hill raised beef, tomatoes and basil) with 6 different wines and went home with a custom made tee shirt that Jill Peterson and Jaye Buhlis made ( www.oaktees.com  (925) 625-8337 ) and surprised us with, thank you very much.  Also, each person who attended went home with a bottle of wine. 

4th Post on Grape Harvest: Oct. 16th, new date & time

ALERT:  the weather here has been cold with little sun so we are forced to delay the harvest since the grapes will not be ripe as predicted.  The new date, and this is now definite, will be Saturday, Oct. 16th and the new time is 8:30 AM.  Sorry about this as we know the delays have disrupted many plans.   If you can make it on Oct. 16th, drop us a email or a phone call.  

See The previous three posts on this 2010 harvest here on this bloG, below .

Regards,

Peter  and Rhonda Cacioppo

www.EagleHillGroup.net

925-377-6416

Moraga, CA

3rd Post on Oct. 9, 2010 Harvest Day

We finally are able to set the specific date for the Harvest in 2010.  It will be Saturday Oct. 9th at 7:30 AM, so we will be done in two hours and not have to work in the heat. Look below on this blog for  previous two emails.  Also below is a  map to Eagle Hill for your possible use, especially the first time you come through the forest and valley here in Moraga, CA. All pertinent details are on the first email. Please send us an email if you are “local" (some on our list are friends from out of the area) to tell us if you will be able to make it or if you can’t make it (and how many of your friends you are bringing with you), as that helps us estimate how much food and wine to have ready, thanks.  Hope you and your friends can make it; the more people we have the less work and more fun it will be.  One more thing:  a lot of the participants have small businesses, such as Tennis Pro, Attorney, Gardener, Public Relations, Veterinarian, Custom Shirts/Screen Printing, Dentist, General Contractor/Remodeling, Car Broker, Doctor, Landscape Designer, Dog Kennel.  This is a good way to meet people you may want to do business with.  During the lunch we encourage the distribution of business cards; in fact, we can pass them out for you. 

Map to Eagle Hill

2nd Post on 2010 Upcoming Harvest

UPDATE:

As to our previous guess estimate of 9/25/2010 or 10/2/2010 for the harvest day:   the weather has not been very hot and it sure looks like 9/25/2010 is not going to be late enough to get the grapes nice and ripe.  Thus, our best bet now is 10/2/2010, or perhaps a week after that, or 10/9/2010.  Hope you and your friends can make it; the more people we have the less work and more fun it will be. 

Hopefully, I will be able to give you 5 or 6 days notice before say the 10/2/2010 date. 

2010 Grape Harvest Invitation (1st Post)

Dear Eagle Hill supporters,

It is getting closer to the 2010 harvest time here at Eagle Hill Wines and Vineyards (www.eaglehillgroup.net) .  Once again we would love to have your help, and to have some fun with you.  This year we should have twice or three times the grapes we had in 2009, when we had 11 helpers  to harvest 528 pounds (we had 7 helpers in 2008).  This year we would like to start much earlier, at 7:30 AM, so we will not have to work in the heat (and it is better for the harvested grapes) and to have 30 to 40 harvesters, so as to not wear out our friends. With that many people, car pooling would be a good idea, although there is lots of parking behind the dog kennels near the vineyard.  Once again, if you could bring a small garden shear, that would be great; but for those without we have some extra shears and vineyard knives.  Don’t forget shoes with treads as the vineyard is steep.  This year we hope to start right away and be done harvesting in two hours; then, our bonded winery, Captain Vineyards, who will make our wine for the second year in a row, has promised this year we will be able to bring the grapes to them the morning of the harvest for processing.  Accordingly, the plan is to transport the grapes in 4 vehicles or so, especially any pick ups or SUVs with seats down that may show up, as soon as we have picked; it is only 3 miles from us.  I would encourage everyone to go with the grapes and assist/watch as the grapes are put through the crusher/destemmer machine.  After a short tour of their new Tasting room and oak barrel storage rooms, we would like all to come back to Eagle Hill for our traditional harvest lunch with wine.  

We are looking for new people to participate so if you know some friends that you would like to bring with you, that would be great.  If anyone needs a map please request it when you reply back as to whether you can make it and with how many people.  I have a hand-drawn map that I can attach to an email, as most navigation systems give up half way down our now gravel/asphalt private road. Also, don’t be surprised by the FOR SALE sign; yes, the ranch is for sale.  When it sells in this market, we are off to the Village area of La Jolla, San Diego, an area we have visited a lot since we moved to California in 1988.  The MLS web page for the ranch is: (pass it on!):    

http://www.realtor.com/realestateandhomes-detail/1350-Bollinger-Cyn_Moraga_CA_94556_1120773855?source=a20058 .

As many of you know, this initial email is but a good guess as to when the harvest day will be, as we are dependent on the weather as to when the grapes will be ready for harvest.  As we get closer to harvest day I will send you other emails giving you more of a definite day.  As of today, it looks like the harvest will be either Saturday September 25th or Saturday October 2, 2010.  We have been lucky the last two years that we have been able to harvest on a weekend day so working friends can participate. 

Please email us if you can make it with details on how many people you are bringing.  Email:

EagleHill@EagleHillGroup.net .   

Spring 2010

The Sangiovese in Block 2 is producing a lot more green growth way before the Cabernet Sauvignon in Block 1 and the Cabernet Franc in Block 2.   We are seeing growth in both Block 1 and Block 2.  We had pruned February 28th and the vineyard manager is not due back until May 9th for sulfur, more Roundup and pulling suckers.

Photos of 08 and 09 Harvests on web page

Yesterday, I created two new page for our web page, www.eaglehillgroup.net , one page of photos from the 2008 Harvest and one page of photos from the 2009 Harvest and Crush/Destemming.  Sal's new crush/destemmer machine is all stainless steel and was made in Italy.  It worked great separating the grapes from the stems and crushing the grapes, in preparation for their fermentation time.

Wine pressed today

Got a call from our wine maker Sal Captain that he and his wine consultant Tom Morehouse were going to be pressing the wine today.  He wanted to know if I wanted to come by for it.  I was on my way to Oakland but was able to stop by for 20 minutes and worked the press for  a short period of time.  The wine looks and smells fabulous.  It is a nice purple color....thus so far so good!

Here is what a wine press looks like:

Fermentation Update 9-28-2009

Here is an update from our winemaker, Sal Captain:

September 28, 2009: Last night, I did the punch down and SO2, this morning again another punchdown, the color is fabulous deep red, the numbers are moving, started with 24 Brix, today it is 25.8 Brix, then it will drop gradually down to dry. pH is at 3.95, and TA was .7875, both of these numbers are towards the upper end of the scale, but Tom Morehouse is comfortable letting them settle by themselves w/o additions. We shall apply yeasts today once Morehouse gets here. The color is fabulous. Will keep you posted of developments.

Sal Captain

2009 Harvest and Crush---Results of

Here is an update on the Eagle Hill Wines and Vineyards harvest and crush.

At 9:30 AM Saturday September 26, 2009, 11 people arrived at Eagle Hill to help with the harvest. We had 7 in 2008. In 2008 for Block 1, planted in 2006 and which has 246 vines of Cabernet Sauvignon, the first harvest resulted in 150 pounds. We believed we would have 300 pounds in 2009 but instead we ended up with 528 pounds not including the lugs' weights. In 2009, we started at 10 AM and worked for 3 hours, finishing at 1 PM, in very hot weather. Next year it may be better to start at 8 AM so we work in cooler weather. Next year our winemaker at Captain Vineyards believes we may have 1100 pounds from Block 1 if we don't lose any to raccoons (we estimate we lost around 20% to them until we realized what was happening and put two of our German Shepherds dogs down there at night). The dogs just need to be there when the grapes are starting to get sweeter, probably the last 2 or 3 weeks before harvest. In 2010 the Block 1 vines will be starting to reach their maturity as to pounds produced. In any case, we are sorry that we totally miss-calculated the work involved. Next year, when Block 2, planted in 2008, will be producing a fair amount of grapes (only about 20 pounds this year), that Block's 200 vines (Cabernet Franc and Sangiovese) will be adding to the time involved. Accordingly, it seems to us that to keep the time involved to a more manageable 1.5 to 2 hours, we should attempt to have around 30 people doing the harvesting. Thus, please keep your eyes out for wine enthusiasts who would like to participate next year and share our web page and blog address with them. We received a very good suggestion that a small group should go through first with poles to more easily put the bird nets up to the top.

Before the harvest, we had breakfast at Eagle Hill and after the harvest we had a long lunch at Eagle Hill. We had it inside this year as it was so hot outside. During lunch we sampled 3 different wines from grapes grown in the Lamorinda area, with a concluding sip of Limoncello!

After keeping the grapes in a cool area of the house overnight, on Sunday, September 27, 2009 Peter took the grapes to our wine maker, Captain Vineyards, a bonded winery in Moraga, CA. Steve and Jane met him there and assisted in the crush and destemming. We also helped Salah and Susan Captain crush/destem grapes from two other vineyards.

If the people who took photos send us email files of them I will add them to the photos I have and then send everyone an email with the photos attached.

Once again, thank you to all who assisted this year.

Harvest delayed until 9-26-2009

The grapes were tested yesterday by our winemaker and they are not quite ready for harvest. Thus, we need to change harvest day to Saturday September 26th; the wine maker's schedule requires we start a bit earlier: can you arrive between 8:15 and 8:30AM? We will have coffee/tea and pastry for you, we will then harvest, and then who ever wants to can go with Peter to the winemaker in Moraga (off Joseph Drive, near our street), to see what it is like to run the grapes through the crusher and destemmer; you can also tour their facility there if you want. It is only 3 miles from our ranch so we will then come back to Eagle Hill for lunch and wine. We have gathered wine from a couple of Moraga vineyards so you can see the quality that we are aiming for. By the way, this year has been a long season for most of the Lamorinda vineyards (what we call the Lafayette, Moraga and Orinda area) that are part of our 4 year old Lamorinda Wine Growers Association. Most places with Cabernet Sauvignon are harvesting at the end of September, caused by the lack of heat recently.

If you can make it, don't forget to wear blue jeans, bring a small garden shear if you have one, and shoes/boots for a hillside. Please tell us if you can make it on this new day, thanks.

Update on 2009 Harvest

Testing of the grapes are giving indications that harvest will be Saturday September 19, 2009 as long as it continues to be hot here. We will be starting between 9 and 9:30 AM. Let me know if you can help so we can plan enough food and drink for lunch after we harvest in the AM. If you have a small garden shear to cut the grape bunches off the vines that would be great to bring. Remember to wear clothes you don't mind getting dirty, like blue jeans, as sometimes it is best to sit on the ground when harvesting, and a hat to keep out the sun. Also, anyone who needs detailed instructions to find us let me know as I have an email I can forward to you.

2009 Harvest

The grapes are starting to turn purple. Anticipate harvest in the 3rd of September, 2009

Eagle Hill Group

Eagle Hill Group
Moraga, CA

This blog will be used for all matters for Eagle Hill Group that are not concerned with Eagle Hill Wealth Managment. For instance, it will be used for Eagle Hill Wines and Vineyard matters. The web page for Eagle Hill Group is: www.EagleHillGroup.net .

For Eagle Hill Wealth Managment, please see the blog:
http://www.eaglehillwealthmanagement.blogspot.com/

Also, see the web site: http://www.eaglehilladvisor.com/ for Eagle Hill Wealth Managment information.