Jake Wheeler provides the wheat straw we use in our vineyards. He and David have known each other for years. Their kids were in 4-H and FFA at the same time, and they'd bump into each other at the Napa Town & Country Fair. Wheat straw is the stubble that's left after the grain has been harvested, but it's not all created equal. You want clean, weed-free wheat straw. Nothing “trashy,” says Jake, nothing that would bring unwanted weeds into the vineyard. He buys the straw from wheat farmers in the Sacramento Valley—walks around the field to inspect it before he cuts and bales it himself. If it doesn't meet his standards, it doesn't get loaded. Which is why he and David have worked together for so long. They're on the same page. “You know what David wants. If you can't deliver it, then don't bother.”