Harvest 2014 is here!
It’s official, harvest 2014 is underway and once again it is early, early, early! Like last year, 2014 has been one of the warmest growing seasons on record, which has resulted in one of the earliest harvest seasons on record. Coupled with one of the worst droughts we have ever seen, it has been a challenging year to say the least. Luckily, as farmers, we’ve got thick skin and we adapt and make the most of what Mother Nature gives us, no matter how challenging it may be.
We get lots of questions about the drought and I can tell you right now, it is very real. With the lack of water, our vines have been under more stress than a “normal” year and the result is smaller clusters and less fruit per vine than average years. With that said, the quality of the fruit is quite good with smaller, more concentrated berries. As Niels put it, “It looks like fall, it is super dry. A big challenge is keeping the canopy alive until we are ready to harvest.”
At the end of the day all we can do is make the most of what we are given and luckily without rain or frost our fruit hasn’t been jeopardized outside of the drought. I think we are going to see very concentrated and flavorful wines come out of the 2014 harvest, and that alone will make 2014 a year to remember!
Next week we will be harvesting “third leaf” (third year) Syrah, Tannat, Merlot, and Primitivo, all of which are looking to produce very high quality fruit. Once the reds start coming in, harvest is the real deal and you know our team is working tirelessly to produce the best wines around!
Stay tuned for more harvest 2014 updates! Don’t forget to join us for Beaverstock!!
Cheers,
Luke
