Tuesday 8/26/08:
We are getting nearer to harvest every minute. Grape samples are showing up at the lab nearly every day, from the 13 growers whom we will be working with this year. Several Pinot Gris vineyards are showing around 20-21 Brix degrees – I will be starting to look seriously at bringing them in once we get a bit closer to 23, probably next week. Brian and I are trying to spend at least parts of 2-3 days per week in the vineyard, watching the blocks, walking them, and getting a sense for how they are going to ripen.
The weather has been really cooperative, with warm days in the low 90’s and cooling evenings that allow the vines to ‘catch their breath.’ This is the perfect scenario for the ripening of grapes – the vines operate most efficiently between about 70F and 85F – higher than that can strain them to some degree, and over 100F the vines actually shut down and stop developing sugar and flavor in the grapes. Prolonged high heat can cause raisining; the Brix may climb, but the flavors and tannins are still green and unripe, producing awkward wines with little body, poor color, and ‘stewed’ flavors.
We brought in a few new guys to help us with harvest, and are devoting this week to training everyone on basic safety issues, as well as all the systems for keeping information and paperwork straight through the madness of harvest. I am reviewing all the slightly changed procedures and very new protocols for some of the wines – everyone here is going to be on a learning curve this year, from myself, to the new guys, to the 15 year cellar veterans as we deal with new vineyard sources, new varieties in a few cases, and new production methods in the cellar.
Lots going on at the moment, pretty soon we will be in the thick of it all here. Looking forward to this first vintage with EOS, it will be challenging, but I think that it will be very good as well.
-NRC
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