This harvest is certainly one the most stressful in memory. With heat domes giving way to widespread wildfires, we had no idea what to expect while the summer progressed.
The dry weather and heat certainly gave us low disease pressure and lots of heat units, but all the smoke had us sitting on pins and needles wondering what to expect come harvest.
So, going into harvest I spent time reading up on smoke taint protocols and discussing same with fellow winemakers. Surprisingly, we were blessed with good fruit and very nice quality from our growers, who luckily were not harvesting from hot spots for smoke that were closer to the fires.
Not all wineries were so lucky. For sure all the heat early in the summer impacted fruit set and as such yield are down about 15% on average for most vineyards
High brix, good sugar acid balance and clean fruit showing up on our crush deck, so overall we are thinking 2021 will show great quality.
We enjoyed great weather for most of September and October so we could take in fruit in an organized but slightly compressed time frame.
The highlights in the cellar this year will be co ferments and some extended maceration on whites, which although riskier, can bring great rewards. Farming is never dull, that’s for sure!
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