Many people ask me what we end up doing in the winter (usually assuming that we have absolutely nothing to do). While things are comparatively slower during our "off-season", there are still plenty of things to work on. From a winemaking aspect, there are usually a...
With early bud break, early flowering & fruit set, and early veraison, is it any surprise that the grapes are ready for harvest? In fact, this is the earliest harvest this region has ever seen! On August 26th we brought in a little over four tons...
It has been way too long since my last post - but I have good reason. Since the dramatic change in color with our Pinot Noir fruit, there has been an increase in the bird population on the property and much more pressure to get...
It looks like the Pinot vines are enjoying the season we are having - so much so that they decided to start going through veraison over the past couple of days. The first vines to make this transition seem to be Clone 777 in all...
As summer progresses, we now have beautiful, full vineyard canopies. The abundance of shoots and leaves provide the perfect cover to camouflage the a bird nest. Our lower block has been graced with the presence of two sets of robin nests which are each bearing...
Next on the lineup in the vineyard: shoot tucking, leaf removal, and weed removal. Shoot Tucking: Both sides of the trellis now have three catch wires for the shoots to climb up into the canopy. More frequently than not, the shoots miss the next catch wire and...
On May 29th we received quite a scare. A "microburst" of 90 mph wind ran through our area and took down a number of trees along with severe rain and hail. Fortunately, we dodged both the extreme winds and hail and only received a touch...
Some replacement vines have arrived. Occasionally, a vine is struck by the tractor or just doesn't seem to perform like the surrounding vines and needs to be replaced. These vines are marked in the Fall and are ordered from the nursery. Once we are in...
Now that the buds have progressed into shoots, it's time to take care of the unwanted shoots on the trunk - otherwise known as "suckers". The verb tense of removing these "suckers" is called suckering. The before shot shows the vine on the left with a...
We were met with some pretty cool temperatures (29 degrees) last weekend and after a couple of warmer days, we were able to assess the damage. It looks like the frost was minimal at best. Maybe one bud per three vines. In fact, a number of...