70% and Counting: Harvest Update #4
In the last harvest blog I pointed out that we were half way through with harvest. We are now roughly 70% there and the fruit continues to look really good. I probably sound like a broken record by now but the truth is we are having a great year and we don’t take that for granted. I can confidently say that all of the fruit that has come into the winery has been great with particular lots, such as our Whale Rock Pinot Noir, looking really really spectacular.
Today we have been doing more picking in the Whale Rock Vineyard, which is part of the “Templeton Gap” and we have harvested our first Grenache Blanc and first significant vintage of Grenache. We were able to harvest Grenache last year but the first harvest was very small. I’m particularly excited about the Grenache because I thought our first vintage was delicious and we are pretty much out. (I think I’ve got a bottle saved somewhere).
The Whale Rock vineyard is really something special but it doesn’t necessarily come easy. This Vineyard has a rolling landscape and temperatures and soils can change drastically in a matter of 50 yards or less. We haven’t had any significant frost damage yet but we have experienced frost in the lower parts of this vineyard, which has resulted in some areas ripening at a slower rate. To put it in perspective, we have already picked all of our Blind Faith and Hog Heaven grapes, which are on the East Side of the appellation. Within the Whale Rock Vineyard we have been selectively picking only the ripest pockets and we are maybe half way there.
Tomorrow’s forecast calls for a slight chance of rain and although we desperately need the precipitation it isn’t ideal during harvest. If it does rain we can’t pick and there is always the possibility of bunch rot when clusters get damp. It doesn’t look like we will have much of an issue with this small front but you never know. Once our grapes are all picked we hope it rains like crazy!
As I mentioned at the end of the last blog, Harvest Wine Weekend is almost here and we’ve got all kinds of festivities in store. For more info visit our website HERE and come on out to celebrate this beautiful time of year with us.
Cheers,
Luke
