Summer in the Vineyard 2016

Today we're bringing our winemaker, Jacques Tardy, on the blog to give us a quick tour of what's happening in the vineyard and the winery during the hot days of summer. Enjoy!

Things have progressed rapidly in the vineyard since bud break. Bloom which usually happens mid-June was finished by the first week of June.

Because of a slight lack of pollination due to the heat (and a few days over 100F) at the end of May and early June, some flowers didn’t get the chance to open up. Now we have what is called “Hen and Chicks”, with normal size berries and smaller ones that will not swell to full size, limiting the yields but adding a concentration to the wine.  

I have not seen any disease in the vineyards, despite the mildew friendly weather. This cool down we have experienced since mid-June is welcome by all, including the vineyard crew, and the vines (Pinot Noir doesn’t really like high heat). Hopefully, it will allow for longer hang time to allow flavors to develop and for a delayed harvest, after last year’s unusually early harvest.

While I was vacationing in France late-May to early-June, our assistant winemaker, Jon, was busy getting the 2014 Pinot Noirs and some 2015 whites ready for bottling and brought in the truck to bottle them the first week of June. All is well that ends well…it turns out he didn’t really miss me or need me (maybe just a little?).

Cheers,

Jacques

Winemaker

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