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2008 SEASON
— Seventh Harvest
Four short fruiting canes were
pruned to utilize the up-down spread of the trellis system. The vines are
balanced, fruit/canopy, to encourage complex structured flavors for wine.
A little earlier than last year,
by March 10, most buds had appeared—just in time for April frost. Yikes!
A new wind machine, the result of Nunes' good instincts in February at the
International Farm Exposition in Tulare, CA, saved most of the fruit (more
than once!).
Flowers weathered a few hot
days, bringing canopy temperature to 86 degrees right in the middle of
bloom. But after a short period of flowering, canes, leaves and fruit thrived
through the rest of the mild spring and early summer. Early nail biting
aside, the bunches set small and loose and seem about average in number.
After pruning and tying with
Pellenc machines, Nunes' crew and adjunct workers
traverse the vineyard, suckering, shoot thinning and positioning canes.
Mild warm weather prevailing, lower shoots were turned down
spreading the canes onto the tall trellis and exposing the fruit to the right amount of dappled
sunlight.
Careful watering after a
relatively dry winter and spring keeps riparian roots supple in the
shallow soil. The first week of July berries started changing from green to
purple. Like everything this season, véraison was little early. A large crew
was sent through to thin bunches to beat it and balance the vines.
August started with mild weather,
the grapes gathering sugar and turning their precursors into flavor
compounds. The Nunes crew wandered through tweaking the vineyard and chasing
birds, making sure the vines were on approach for landing in early September.
With budburst 120 days behind
and 60 days from véraison, harvest begins September 1 with a spate of afternoons in the
90's, (and an hour at 100) too hot! The third picking day cooled significantly, back to a welcome
ring of Russian River fog. Five more days of non-stop work, September 15, and the waiting
begins again. For the wine this time.
Harvest
Photos
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Wind Machine
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New portable wind machine on its way to save the day!
Budburst —
Dorothy's block
Clone 114 March
Veraison —
Home Block
July 15
Bunches
ready to go —
Home Block August 30
(Click to enlarge) |
