Journal | September 1, 2020
Hardscrabble Journal
Ready, Set, Wait
We are ready for harvest. The August bottling has emptied barrels and tanks, crush equipment is running smoothly, and trucks, tractors and trailers are operational. But the grapes are not ready.
So we wait. Waiting for harvest to begin is always an anxious time. Anxiety has been exacerbated by soggy, wet weather over the past several days.
As grapes ripen they become increasingly susceptible to bunch rots. Rain and fog can trigger an occurrence. Sauvignon Blanc, Semillon, and Chardonnay are closest to being ripe. I anticipate seeing some rot in these varieties. Fortunately the weather over the coming weekend looks sunny, cool, and breezy. This should desiccate any rotten berries, so there should be minimal impact to the quality of the wines.
Yesterday Shari ran lab analysis on eight different grape samples. It looks like Boisseau Chardonnay will be ready to pick next week, possibly along with Boisseau Viognier. The higher elevation Avenius and Hardscrabble vineyards are not yet in the ripeness window to even consider picking.
Cool and dry is what we need, but it looks like we’ll have to wait a bit longer.
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