Harvest 2020 Has Commenced!

Vintage 2020 has begun, and we are thrilled. As fires rage in counties south, we are holding our breaths and sending love to our friends and neighbors while we forge ahead with the necessary work that crush demands. It feels gratifying to be able to dive in to harvest -- a little normalcy amidst the sheer craziness that 2020 has brought to all of us.

Here in Anderson Valley the skies have been mostly clear, and our fruit looks beautiful. Clusters are small and not terribly numerous this year (likely due to low rainfall, at least in part). Vintage 2020 was mild and dry until mid-August, when a heat wave hit the West Coast, speeding up ripening.

We typically begin harvest in early September, but we are happy to be shepherding our fruit into the winery early this year, where we know it will be safely turned into stellar wine. Low quantity often means high quality -- it just hurts upon release, when we lack the inventory to sell!

We commenced crush with a Vin Gris of Pinot Noir -- a rosé picked just for that purpose, instead of produced using the saignée method (a byproduct of red wine production - more on that here). This means we are picking earlier than anything else in the vineyard to ensure we craft a wine with high acidity and lower alcohol (that crisp, fresh feeling you get when enjoying a true rosé).

Our "regular" Pinot Noirs come next, then the Sauvignon Blanc, and last (but not least) the Semillon.

Wish us luck!