Hello,
Well, it looks like
they are back for more, finally...
We detected the
first vineyard flowers on the 180th day of the growing season. This corresponds
to June 29th. The first block of Pinot Noir to show flowers this year was a neat
little block of 113 clone on 5C rootstock. And what a wonderful 3 days of
weather it was, before a nice wet cooling off period retuned us to early Spring
like weather.
We are behind the
historical curve folks. Typically the average date of flowering is the 15th of
June. Not that any year has recorded flowers on that date, it is just the
average. Flowering is a significant event in the vineyard because it gives us an
idea of our potential harvest dates.
The harvest window
for Pinot Noir generally opens 105 days after flowering. Again, it is not a
"hard coded" date, but an average. For 2009, we will be looking at about the
285th day of the year to commence harvest. The 285th day of the year is a
Tuesday, October 13th.
The reason it is 105
days after flowering is that we are looking for the grapes to develop
flavors. Sugars are less important, in fact a cooler growing season may mean
less sugars resulting in lower alcohol. But we need the day count for the
flavors to develop. Hence the grower's plight - "hurry up and
wait."
Not that this is
bad, or good for that matter, it just is. However, in the world of probability
theory we have just discovered a fact that replaces an assumption. This newfound
fact tells us that we will be harvesting late this year. The later the harvest,
the greater chance of deteriorating weather patterns and conflicting with the
schedule of marauding flocks of starlings. These conditions also favor the gift
of botrytis (aka bunch rot) for the unprepared.
It is good to bear
in mind that in 2008 we did not flower until the 171st day, and look how well
that vintage is regarded. Follow this link to view our 2010 Vineyard Flowers Photo
Gallery.
Kindest
Regards,
Ernie
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