We harvest the whites!

2001 WINEGROWER'S NOTES:

Vineyard work is completed October 6 after a long season. Damaged fruit and second crop have been dropped in order to keep substandard fruit out of the bins. The white grapes were picked at full maturity. Some acid was added to bring optimum balance to the must. Due to predation (mostly raccoons and opossums) and crop selection, quantities will be limited. We should have small quantities of a dry white blend consisting of 44% Viognier, 33% Roussane and 23% other whites available next fall. Larger quantities of a slightly off-dry Riesling should be available in late spring.
Cabernet Franc, as expected is the first red variety to mature. We picked about 2 tons of fruit on October 10th. We finished the harvest of Cabernet Sauvignon, Petit Verdot and Syrah on October 18, total weight about 3 tons.

Everything has been slow to mature this year because of cool temperatures. In addition, the weather has been extremely dry with only 1.3" of rain falling in the last six weeks (before the .76" last night). This combination has resulted in concentrated flavors and mature skins and seeds, while keeping acid and pH in reasonable balance. What a change from July and August when the near record-setting rainfall was beginning to make us wonder whether there could be red wine at all! This might not be "the vintage of the century", but it could be very good indeed especially for red wine. To paraphrase the old French adage: "The only four weeks that count weather-wise are the four weeks prior to harvest".

Cabernet Franc was harvested on 10/10, later than expected, and Syrah, Cabernet Sauvignon and Petit Verdot on 10/18, also later than expected, at slightly less than 22 Brix. The overall maturity profile, including pH, showed perhaps a five or six day maturity window between Cabernet Franc and Cabernet Sauvignon with Syrah in the middle, ripening a few days before Cabernet Sauvignon. Fruit was physiologically fully mature and the resulting wines should be rich and supple. A modest amount of acid and a small amount of sugar was added to balance the vintage. Cabernet Franc was pressed on 10/25 and is undergoing malolactic fermentation in a tank. The Cabernet Sauvignon/Petit Verdot and Syrah will be pressed November 2 or 3.

White wines have finally completed cold fermentation and will be racked within the next few days.

This was a "miracle" vintage in that with all the excessive rain we received in July and Early August, I was beginning to wonder if there was going to be a vintage, period. By late September, after an extended dry spell, the vines actually showed some minor moisture stress, which greatly benefited the later maturing varieties.

Overall, I'm pleased with how the vineyard performed. Young vineyards often show signs of excessive vigor and elevated potassium levels. Our is no exception. Both should decrease in subsequent years with changes in cultural practices and as fruit (containing potassium), is removed from the vineyard.

Other than picking a few days sooner and maintaining better predator control (especially raccoons!), in retrospect, I would have changed little about the way harvest was managed this year.