VINEYARD NOTES

Bud break occurred the first week of April which was slightly ahead of historical averages. The weather was unsettled through bloom which was the end of May. Despite the unsettled weather during bloom, we were satisfied with fruit set and canopy development…for the most part we were off to a fairly normal growing season. That changed the third week of June as a record heat wave blanketed the region. The highest temperature we recorded in the vineyard was 118° deg F. There seemed to be no end to the heat wave as it reached into August with above average temperatures. Viticultural practices to maximize light penetration to the clusters had to be adjusted to minimize damage from the extreme temperatures. Many of the viticultural practices that we would consider normal and timely were not normal or timely. Careful attention to soil moisture status was also critical in minimizing damage during the extreme heat. We began harvest the first week of September and were blessed with exceptional ripening weather through October. It’s been 40 years since our first vines were planted on the Estate and 2021 has been the hottest on record. The impacts of record temperatures on the fruit were smaller berries and smaller clusters which resulted in highly concentrated wines with exceptional quality. We finished a relatively smooth harvest the second week of October and are looking forward to doing it all over again in 2022. ~Marc