Journal | September 9, 2020
Hardscrabble Journal
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Today is the first day of harvest. Never have we had a start date that has changed so often. I do hope that this is not a precursor of what lies ahead. Unfortunately the previously “unforecasted” rains made the changes. Tonight and tomorrow we now anticipate some significant rains, so best to harvest any grapes that are ripe.
We head to Boisseau Vineyard to pick Chardonnay and Viognier. Originally, we were hoping for a few more days of sunshine to increase concentration and ripen flavor profiles. Yesterday’s heat and sunshine did help a lot, but rain will dilute the progress made over the past four days.
Boisseau is a much warmer vineyard than Avenius or Hardscrabble. It is situated on a ridge overlooking the Shenandoah Valley floor (low elevation) and faces west. This accounts for its accelerated ripening. The grapes for the other vineyards are still not in the ripeness window to consider picking. That should come next week.
We are anxiously awaiting a big high-pressure system arriving over the weekend that will bring low humidity, cool nights, and sunny warm days. Next week should be very, very busy.
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