Our First Pick Dates Are Scheduled! Harvest 2016
Last week we started eyeing the vineyard suspiciously. With a few recent heat spikes and a smaller-than-average crop, ripening was moving along very quickly. And as I wrote in this blog just one week ago that we expected harvest in early September, we took our first berry samples for the year, testing acidity and sugar and tasting for flavor.
The verdict? We start harvesting estate grapes next week! A quick turnabout, but every vintage is unique, and I always tell our customers that a lot can happen in a vineyard in a very short amount of time! This year proves that.
In many of the blocks this year, clusters are tiny (see photo below, where the cluster is only as long as my fingers). Pinot Noir is known for small clusters, but this year they're very small, meaning less crop for the vine to ripen and a faster ripening pace. Once the vines started to get some summer heat, then off they went! Sugars are accumulating quickly and we should have all the grapes in the winery by the beginning of September.
Here we go!
The verdict? We start harvesting estate grapes next week! A quick turnabout, but every vintage is unique, and I always tell our customers that a lot can happen in a vineyard in a very short amount of time! This year proves that.
In many of the blocks this year, clusters are tiny (see photo below, where the cluster is only as long as my fingers). Pinot Noir is known for small clusters, but this year they're very small, meaning less crop for the vine to ripen and a faster ripening pace. Once the vines started to get some summer heat, then off they went! Sugars are accumulating quickly and we should have all the grapes in the winery by the beginning of September.
Here we go!
Comments