Hello and Welcome,
Well, it seems we may be harvesting these grapes
for wine after all. Dena was starting to pick out packaging for about 65 tons of
"Christmas Gifts."
September gave us a beautiful closer and now we
turn our focus to October. The weather is just mostly something to talk about
until it gets to about 30 days before harvest. The last 4 weeks are when the
flavors and aromas develop in Pinot Noir skins. Oh sure, we are building sugars
and dropping acids, but the real show is happening with the skins. This is by
design.
The vine is continuing on its undeterred mission
to frustrate winegrowers and then eventually ripen their seeds for wide
dispersal. Until these seeds are ready to be consumed by unsuspecting birds,
deer or other vermin (the vine is fairly indiscriminate in this relationship),
the vine maintains a bit of tartness (acid) and is slow to produce the
tantalizing aroma of ripe fruit. Note: Not all berries ripen at the same time,
and the local population of birds are intuitively aware of this fact.
As we approach seed ripeness, these aroma
compounds are developed and all harvest breaks loose! But the weather leading up
to harvest substantially impacts the resulting wine aroma, flavor and body.
Mother Nature seems to like a bit of this and that. For those who have visited
over the summer and tasted the 2006 vintage next to the 2007 vintage, you don't
need me to tell you she has a sense of humor.
Now, here is the rest of the story: It's her
weather, but we decide when to harvest. The result will be the 2010 vintage. Of
all the decisions you must get right in winegrowing, when to harvest is "the
one." To keep all the harvest options on the table, you must take care of the
vineyard all year long. Mess up with the vines, and you may have bunch rot
(Botrytis) taking you out of the game. In other words you have to pick before
the aromas have really developed, because if you don't, the fruit will just rot
on the vine while you wait. Sum it up this way: "They are not ready, but they
are only going to get worse."
The best case scenario is a well managed canopy
that can handle a little this and that. The result is your harvest decisions are
disciplined based on wine quality. Remember, we are growing wine here. For you
MBA types out there (you know who you are), consider Mother Nature the "Program
Manager" and we, the little people, are the "Project Managers." We schedule in
harvest around the season fall rains, sunbursts and the occasional double
rainbow. We grow Pinot Noir in the last best place. That's what we
do.
Here is what you missed if you were not
"present" in the Willamette Valley over the last month. We have recorded
about 298 degree days for the month of September, providing a total of 1,562
degree days since the beginning of the growing season on April 1st. This
compares with 405 degree days last September and a comparative total of 2,040
degree days for 2009. That is about a 20% shortfall.
During September, our highest high was a
pleasant 92.5 and our lowest high was 88.0. Our lowest low was 41.7 and our
highest low was 44.7 degrees Fahrenheit. The rainfall for September was 1.86
inches and was 0.73 inches above last September's rain of 1.13. Note this was
one big event ending right around the 25th. Rainfall since April 1st through
September 30th was 15.64 inches, and is 6.23 inches greater than last year's
growing season to date rainfall of 9.41 inches.
Now,
you may be asking yourself where all this rain goes. There are only three places
it can go. The first step was to saturate the soils. From there a portion went
to the ton of cover crop seeds Ernie drilled into the field at the beginning of
the month. Of course the permanent grass rows took their "fair share" and lastly
the vines got in on the action. So was it too much?
One way
to answer this question is to see if any of the berries split from taking up
excess moisture. If this happens it is "really bad" (another technical farming
term.) It is bad because not only have you just lost that berry, bunch rot can
now start to grow due to the exposed juice. Left to grow under warm conditions
for a few days, it will compromise the entire cluster. The seeds however, will
still be viable. 15-Love, advantage Mother Nature.
Another
way to look at this is dilution of the juice if the berry does not split. The
surface area of the berry contains only so much of the wonderful aroma compounds
we are looking for. By the berry swelling up, we are diluting that concentration
of "good stuff" (a technical winemaking term.) Extended cellar aging (12 - 18
months) may reduce this dilution due to evaporation of water.
So, we
go back to the weather report and take comfort in knowing we have done all we
can to care for the vines again this year. The first couple weeks of October are
forecast to be dry, warm and mildly breezy. I see a harvest window approaching
around the 12th. We are not out of the woods yet.
Kindest
Regards,
Ernie
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