Hello,
The big news is that
we welcome the 4th of July weekend with Pinot Noir flowers!! Providing Mother
Nature gives us a bit of sun and warm weather, these little flowers will turn
into grapes. We are hopefully optimistic.
Yes, the Redtail
hawks are back and we do have another pair of juvenile raptors to report.
However, the overabundance of ground squirrels seems to be too much for them to
control. Enter the Bobcats. Yes, we seem to have attracted the attention of a
pair of Bobcats. From a distance, and with binoculars, their facial markings
remind us of Bengal tigers. So we sit on the deck of the winery and observe
these "cats" do their best to help control an out of control population of
ground squirrels. A biological control that seeks
balance.
Here are the
numbers. The month of June continued in May's footsteps providing us with cool
temperatures and more rain. We have recorded about 249 degree days for the month
of June, providing a total of 334 degree days since the beginning of the growing
season on April 1st. This compares with 369 degree days last June and a
comparative total of 568 degree days. During June, our highest high was 88.7 and
our lowest high was 83.0. Our lowest low was 40.2 and our highest low was 41.0
degrees Fahrenheit. From a heat summation point of view, we are nearly a month
short from last year.
The
rainfall for June was 4.97 inches and was about 3.52 inches more than last
June's rain of 1.45. Rainfall since April 1st through June 30th was 12.93
inches, and is 5.93 inches more than last year's Q2 accumulation of 7.00 inches.
Every inch of rain is about 27,000 gallons of water per acre, or about 18.6
gallons per vine.
The
vineyard work is progressing nicely as we wait for our shoot growth to reach the
second wire position, block by block. The usual suspects are ready to go, but
the cooler sections of the vineyard, and those on 44-53 rootstock seem to be
holding out for better weather. I can't say I blame them.
In
light of the Independence Day weekend, I would like to recognize our founding
fathers who have created a concept that has survived the test of time - 234
years to be precise. Imagine their surprise if they were to learn that some of
our best allies are the Brits!
For
those of you interested, here is a link to the Declaration of Independence. You
can see the original document and read the transcript.
http://www.archives.gov/exhibits/charters/declaration_zoom_2.html
http://www.archives.gov/exhibits/charters/declaration_zoom_2.html
Kindest Regards,
Ernie
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