Hearing about the record heat in Washington State.
What impact will this have on the vineyards?
The vineyards are all in a desert and are irrigated regularly. 100 degrees is the norm in the Eastern part of the state. The heat wave is in Western WA.
It can’t be good for Oregon Pinot…
Thanks Eric. Hope you are keeping cool. My buddies in Redmond told me not to visit right now 
Ted, I can only speak for Red Mountain, but we seem to be handling the heat very well (surprisingly, the west side of the state has suffered more heat-related misery than we have over the last week). Of course, now is the time to be on top of irrigation and canopy management. The vines are healthy, pest pressure is low, clusters are loose and light–it’s making the paranoid pessimist in me very nervous…
Cheers,
Ryan
Ciel du Cheval Vineyard
Grand Reve Vintners
Galitzine Estate
DeLille Grand Ciel
Cadence Cara Mia
Had two hots days in the Willamette Valley, hit over 105. In mid- 90’s now, should be in upper 80’s in a few.
Cheers!
Ryan, that is one heck of a set of vineyards you are taking care of! Thanks for weighing in with the update from the field!
Ryan did have an impressive first post, Eric. It will be interesting to see how the vintages develop with the weather we have been experiencing in the western regions of the country.
Ryan, you run the Ciel du Cheval vineyard?? wow sweet
nice to see u on the board… and good luck with everything. Love the juice from there!
For those in the Seattle area that haven’t tasted the Grand Reve wines, I believe Ryan is part owner, it is worth the drive across the lake to their Kirkland tasting room.
No affiliation, just an admirer.
-Kain
Thank you everyone for the kind words. I am very fortunate to work with tremendously talented people in the Washington wine industry. I love my job(s)!
Regarding Grand Reve, I am co-owner of the vineyard and winery with Paul McBride. It’s a pretty exciting project, and it raises a few eyebrows when I can say we have 6 winemakers: Ben Smith, Ross Mickel, Mark McNeilly, Chris Gorman, Carolyn Lakewold, and a yet-to-be-announced Winemaker #6. Rather than continuing the self-promotion, anyone who wants more info can PM me. And now back to my regularly scheduled lurking…
Best,
Ryan
What is their tasting room in Kirkland? their website doesn’t say…
What is their tasting room in Kirkland? their website doesn’t say…
PM sent but for others having trouble finding the address:
12514 130th Lane
Kirkland, WA
Open Saturday from 1 -5 PM
-Kain
Melissa,
I wouldn’t worry much about the recent heat and local pinot noir. The vines shut down in such heat, so one thing I’ve heard from a couple of producers is that this might slow development a bit, but nothing worth noting I think. The real issue with the heat is sunburn on the grapes, but two things mitigate that. One is that plenty of vineyards haven’t pulled many or any leaves around the fruit, leaving the clusters as shaded as possible. Two is that there’s a huge crop out there, with lots to be dropped between now and harvest. Much of any sunburned clusters will be weeded out, I expect. What would concern me is continued scorching weather. Just guessing, but we were due for a warm summer and I expect the above average temps to continue. The real key will be – will we see enough moderation for ripeness to flow with sugar accumulation? And will we have wet weather at harvest? Dry and pleasant, perfect weather? Or heat that pushes picking or over inflates sugars. Obviously I’m getting ahead of myself, but this will be fun to watch.
Hi Ryan I agree with Eric, that is an impressive list of vineyards. How was your 06 Galitzine fruit, I am on the fence about the QC? Thanks and good luck this summer.
WA100s.
Hi Ryan I agree with Eric, that is an impressive list of vineyards. How was your 06 Galitzine fruit, I am on the fence about the QC? Thanks and good luck this summer.[/quote]
Jack, I’m probably ethically obligated to remain quiet in regards to most Washington wineries, but I have the following two comments:
- Thank you Lord for Bob Betz. Amen.
- Annual barrel tasting at QC is one of the highlights of my year, and Paul Golitzin is very happy with the 2006 vintage.
If you ever make your way to lovely metropolitan Eastern Washington, email me and we can open some QC (and Grand Reve, too).
Regards,
Ryan
Ryan, went by the tasting room today. Well done on the wines! Really enjoyed the Syrah by Ross Mickel and am looking forward to trying the Grenache by Chris Gorman. Keep up the great work.
Tom
Good to see you out of the woodwork Ryan…see you in a few months for harvest with JB. BTW how’s your vineyard coming along, up above/left of Col Solare??
edit: or I guess I could just eread furhter down the thread. duh.