Getting Closer....

A visual update on our Mission Vineyard:


About 5 days ago, we were about 30-50% complete with verasion in the Malbec block of the Mission Vineyard. (see picture to the left). Mornings have been very cool for the past ten days, with the fog and mist persisting until almost noon on some mornings. We have thinned out some of the leaves in the "fruiting zone" so that any moisture will dry in the afternoon sun,. We hope that by opening up the canopy near the grapes, we can prevent mildew from attacking the grapes--a common byproduct of misty mornings in Sonoma County. In fact, we even had a record-breaking thunder and lightning storm late Tuesday. Although there was barely enough precipitation to note, the fact that it rained in August is pretty astounding.

To the right is a picture of the Malbec block taken today. The purple to green ratio is slowly improving, and after sampling several plump and purple grapes, we can report that the Malbec isn't quite ready for showtime. Although we might be several weeks away from harvesting Chardonnay and Pinot Noir, other wineries have already started! As Tom Wark reported recently, a Sonoma Valley vineyard was picked over the weekend for sparkling wine!

Before we know it we too will be up to our ears in sticky grapes...and until then, you'll find us enjoying our last days of casual freedom before the chaos and excitement of harvest kick in.

SIGHTED: Five Purple Grapes!

In our last post, we talked about the countdown to color--or veraison--happening in our vineyards. Well, after several days of mild weather with highs in the upper 70s to low 80s, the grapes have finally started to show their "true colors."

In the Mission Vineyard, we have found just a few purple Malbec grapes (see picture). Although it doesn't seem like much, this first sign of veraison is the signal for viticulturists and winemakers that harvest is just around the corner. The rule of thumb is that harvest occurs 45 days after veraison--or mid-September. However, we must wait until at least half of the grapes in the clusters have begun to turn purple before predicting our harvest date. Usually the Mission Vineyard is harvested in October.

Today and tomorrow we'll have a tiny heat wave, which should speed up the process a little. Hopefully in a couple days, we'll have a lot more purple and even less green in our vineyards! However, it's important to remember that the mantra "slow and steady wins the race" is true in vineyard management as well. Slow, even ripening often produces the highest quality grapes, with fully developed aroma and flavor compounds and smooth, ripe tannins. With the beginning of veraison in late July, our Mission Vineyard Malbec is ripening on schedule, and so far, our outlook is positive for the 2008 vintage.

The Countdown to Color...

It's that time of year--the countdown to color is here!

Reports of the first blushes of purple and red are being reported in Carneros, Russian River and Alexander Valleys. This stage in the ripening process is called "verasion" and is an exciting point in the season. As the grapes begin to color, they also begin to plump up to almost double their size!

We are keeping a lookout at the Mission Vineyard, which is contiguous to the winery property. This photo is of the block of Malbec in the Mission Vineyard. A classic Bordeaux varietal, Malbec often is one of the last grapes to ripen. For this reason, verasion will start a bit later than other earlier-ripening varietals like Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. So far, the grapes are still green and small, but hopefully within the next week the first signs of verasion will be evident.

Stay tuned!