We’ve been busy since our last update. The Vermentino was harvested for Wintergrass Winery on August 26, a total of 1,671 lbs at 22.5° Brix. Then there was a brief lull as we waited for the Syrah, Malbec and Cabernet Franc to reach their peak. The fruit was well matured with dark brown crunchy seeds, soft berries, and the pulp not adhering to the seeds but we were waiting to see if the sugars would accumulate to a higher level, typically the goal is 24-25° Brix for red grapes.
As the tentative harvest date of September 4 approached the Malbec was at 22° Brix and the Syrah and Cabernet Franc were at 24° Brix. The forecast did not call for rain so with the clusters showing no signs of rot or deterioration we decided to let them hang another week.
We finished the season with a busy weekend thanks to the help of our wonderful volunteers . On September 10 we harvested 1,077 lbs of Malbec for Wintergrass Winery which came in at 24° Brix as well as 1,356 lbs of Syrah for Lost Oak Winery which came in at 25.5° Brix.
Next up was the Cabernet Franc on September 11 with 7,213 lbs (3.6 tons) of fruit in the bins and the harvest was completed with the 2nd trailer on its way to the winery at 11:15 am. It came in at 25.5° Brix, a terrific end to the harvest season!
Our yields were down by 30% this season with possible contributing factors being the hard freeze in February, the late freeze on April 29, the frequent rains during bloom, and the loss of vines to Pierce’s Disease. While we would of course prefer to have a normal full crop, we are thankful that we had a successful season and are very pleased with the quality of the fruit that was delivered to the wineries. It was a tough and unusual growing season. Many vineyards across the state had no crop at all and those that did have a crop are reporting a reduction in yields of 30-50%.
We’re looking forward to tasting these vintages in the future and will do our best to let you know when they are released for sale.
