This should be a fun week. 0% chance of rain, starting warm and ending cool. Merlot is in great shape just begging to be picked. Today we start at Boisseau Vineyard picking the Merlot and Cabernet Franc.
Read MoreFor the last week I have been obsessed by the tracking of hurricanes Jose and Maria, well aware of the potential massive rains that they could inflict on our vineyards.
Read MoreSeems that Jose and Maria will stay off shore. This is a major relief. Very warm days and nights have accelerated ripening.
Read MoreAfter a bit of rest and regrouping, we’ll be back at it this week. Today Jonathan and I will be putting the fermenting Chardonnay in barrels.
Read MoreWe are now in waiting for more grapes to ripen. Cooler temperatures have slowed maturation. This is good for wine quality. It is also good for us as we have had a chance to catch up in the cellar and vineyard.
Read MoreThe first big push is over. Bottom line is that we picked and pressed all the grapes that were ripe before the onset of Irma. We have some very nice white wines fermenting.
Read MoreToday is the last “hurricane pick” day. We will be bringing in some, but not all of the Hardscrabble old vine Chardonnay. Frankly, I would like it to be a bit riper, but one section of the block has some bunch rot that could explode if we get the forecasted 3 or 4 days of lingering rain later this week.
Read MoreThis is the crush mode that I remember from the not so ‘good old days’. Its been physically and mentally challenging. We have so many lots of wines in fermenters, that I have to use different colors of labeling tape to ID lots, otherwise we get too confused as to what is where.
Read MoreWe had a good crush day yesterday. Very pleased with the juice quality, especially Avenius Sauvignon Blanc and Chardonnay. It rained off and on all day...
Read MoreNow it feels like harvest. The cooler is being filled with Sauvignon Blanc and Chardonnay. I was too tired to make a decent dinner, but still managed to enjoy a glass of 2014 Grand Cru Chablis for information and inspiration.
Read MoreToday marks the beginning of the big push. Cool, wet weather has slowed ripening, so it has been a week since we last picked. Today we start with young vine Sauvignon Blanc and Chardonnay.
Read MoreVintage 2017 is starting with a bit of anxiety. While picking has started, it has now stopped as we are still waiting for a bit more ripening of Sauvignon Blanc and Chardonnay. They are very very close, but if we picked now, the wines would be a bit green with unbalanced acidity.
Read MoreRainy day. Not what we want, but at least we feel confident about pulling the trigger on yesterday’s pick. Looks like some hard decisions coming up as we play the cat and mouse game with alternating rain chances and sunny days.
Read MoreEver leave the house for a trip and have that feeling that you forgot something?
Read MoreIt has started. The “worries” give a growing season its official beginning. Vine buds are still as tight as a drum, but sap has been flowing and temperatures for the next few nights are predicted to be in the teens.
Read MorePruning is a winegrower’s favorite job. Especially on warm, sunny days. A small vineyardist has an intimate relationship with each vineyard block and in some ways, with each vine.
Read MoreDecades ago, a certain intellectual curiosity led me to Virginia to grow winegrapes. That curiosity has not waned. Initial plantings in the 1980s and 1990s where established with great enthusiasm, but without much knowledge or experience. I am now very familiar and even intimate with the soils and slopes on this small farm.
Read MoreThis first week of the New Year, as is our custom, we started blending trials for the 2016 Reds. We have some great material to work with as the ripeness and quality of the grapes was the best in recent memory.
Read MorePossibly unique to the winegrowing trade is the time honored site visit. This is where one winery operation visits another with the intention of sharing information, walking the vineyards and tasting the wines.
Read MoreJonathan and I just spread 24 tons of chicken litter on land that will eventually become Cabernet Sauvignon. Perhaps not one of the more romantic aspects of vine growing...
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