Vineyard 101: Harvest

15 Nov Vineyard 101: Harvest

During the days leading up to harvest, grape berries continue to ripen, soften, and deepen in color as the fruit accumulates sugar. The bark of the green shoots and grape rachises turn brown and become woody – a process called lignification. Below, our botanical drawing shows a beautifully ripened cluster of Pinot Noir, with deep color and lignified stems before harvest. The choice of harvest date is determined by evaluating grape berry brix and pH, tasting the fruit, and assessing the risk and benefits that future weather events might provide.

This year, we experienced significant rain events during August, September, and October, as the aftermath of tropical storms passed through the area and dropped higher than average amounts of rainfall. This excessive rainfall caused our cover crops, vine canopy, and weeds to explode with growth, leading Tom and our H2A vineyard team to work even harder than normal to keep the vegetation in check and the grapes healthy.

As we ran lab samples in September, it was clear that harvest would be later than normal both at the estate vineyard and our grower vineyards.  Each week, we waited for brix levels to rise, and monitored the condition of the fruit.  Harvest began on September 17th, with a pick of our very first estate-grown Chardonnay (pictured below) from our new vineyard and the harvest continued with Pinot Noir and Riesling being harvested through mid-to late October.   

As this post goes to press, harvest is complete, but we still have many active fermentations bubbling away in the cellar. The 2021 season was a challenging one, requiring a significant amount of personal sacrifice, commitment, and resiliency to bring in the harvest, and make the wine.  We are happy to have this one behind us, but are excited about the potential of the wine!