2013 SEASON — Twelth Harvest

December 2012 was wet and cold, dipping into the twenties several times right before dawn. The creek overflowed flooding the vineyard and leaving behind the usual pebbles, sand and one plastic chair (Go figure!) We began pruning with our own crew of three people using electric pruners and tying machines, and finishing well before their March deadline. January and February were dry enough to alarm some meteorologists, but here, when it rained it poured, and caused delays in the ground work until the soil dried out in March. By March 18th the first of the buds began to unfurl.

We call it the spring flurry. Wind machines, which had been placed among the vines in November before the rain, were returned unused to the yard in late April. After it warmed into the 80's for a few days in the middle of April, shoots took off and a large crew was hired (earlier than usual) to run through and sucker trunks. They returned in May to thin canes and sucker crowns (also a little early). Meanwhile we were on the tractor non-stop with the wild oats growing so fast we could see them stretch. By the 3rd week in May we were well into bloom, which went fast followed by a nice set of small berries.

In June, another crew tucked the canes loosely using a little different strategy. As we anticipated a warmer summer and wanted to give the grapes a bit more shade in our tall thin canopy we left some canes to flop. It rained the last week until the 28th when the temperature popped up into the 90's and struggled to come down over the next five days. By the first part of July, most canes had already turned brown, and our welcome morning fog was back with its cooling influence. The high 70's continued until the 17th and 18th of August which brought a few hours in the low 90's.

The long coast to harvest was cool and sunny with a couple rain spurts that didn't amount to much. Bunches were small and dark and sugar creeped up slowly with most of the fruit coming in between September 16 and October 1 (56+ days from veraison). Since all the vineyards came in at the same time this year, one lonely batch across Three Oak Block and Geserview Block had to wait until October 11th (a scary 68 days!) for space at the winery...

Creamy tannins is what we're hearing!

<< Last Season  Next Season >>

Harvest Photos

A New Red Shed  — In the vineyard

Frosty Morning — Sleeping vines in Home Block

Home Block — August

Small Bunches — Waiting for harvest in 3 Oak Block