2009 Gamay is fairly far behind the Pinot Noir…still lots of green as of this writing…and looking very much like the very last thing we’ll pick this year.
I never fail to be fascinated by how the picking sequence can change from year to year…
2009 Gamay is fairly far behind the Pinot Noir…still lots of green as of this writing…and looking very much like the very last thing we’ll pick this year.
I never fail to be fascinated by how the picking sequence can change from year to year…
Great to see you over here Doug! Good luck up there this year. Hope to make it up for thanksgiving week end (or the one before). Will you be open on both?
John
Last Saturday (9/5/09) at Brick House.
I was going to post the weather forecast but Vincent beat me to it.
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I forgot about this thread. Yeah, the skies are getting pretty dark. Tonight might bring the most rain we see all week. I’m hearing suggestions that accumulations won’t be huge, just drippy through the week. I’m trying to remain calm, but I can’t deny my stomach’s in a knot.
My stomach’s in a knot over the Arby’s commercial for the “Roast Beef and Swiss au jus” I just saw. That looks just vile.
a couple of days ago the weather report called for the biggest rain event of the week being today, and if that is true - no problem. I only put my hat on once, and only for a couple of minutes. Tonight they say some showers thru the week, but next week clear and Monday/Tuesday in the 70’s. Gotta love Oregon !
We have barely begun, with about 40 tons in, 4 pinot, the rest early whites. I was surprised at the numbers on the reds (they were ripe) but also surprised by the green seeds… Mother Nature is messing with us again !
No need to panic, this is typical weather and nothing new to us. So far so good, a sense of excitement is starting in the Valley. Haven’t seen the herd of grape trucks rolling yet, so tells me most are letting it hang, as they should. It seems every year some of the youngsters pull the trigger early, while the oldsters are still just “thinking” about going to work soon.
Tomorrow is our clean up day, last walk thru the winery for a double check, lay in the beer and tunes, then probably a nap.
Best wishes to all
L
Linda, sugars are “ripe” but acids are high and seeds not as brown as the brix would suggest. Seems like the sugars are bumped up because of dehydration and the grapes not as ripe as they appear. I’m not picking anything now until next Tuesday at the earliest. Need more time for phenolic ripeness. Hopefully sugars won’t move much but flavors and aromas develop a good bit.
Now forecast to be sunny from Sunday through Saturday. Let 'em hang, folks!
My first really long day of the season. Just got home. Processed 11 tons of pinot today, 2.5 of it for me. Mix of Dijon clones from the Walnut Hill area of the Eola-Amity hills, nicely ripe but with some dehydration. We’ll see about brix tomorrow after soaking up. Acid tastes good and tested well in the last sample. We’ll see what we get tomorrow. My first fruit for my wine project. I’m totally stoked and wiped out at the same time.
Vincent, It should be interesting to see how things work out for the various Walnut Hill petite vineyards. I delivered the last totes to your place. We’re picking our Three Angels vineyard (directly across the street) on Sunday and the last of the fruit on the hill should be in just before the rains come on Monday. Best to you on your new venture.
Regards, Ed
Ed, I thought I saw you from the sorting line. Figured later you must have brought truck #3. Thanks for the good wishes. Remember, I love your zinfandel and hope you’re making more.
A few quick pics from the valley today.
Pinot hanging at an unnamed vineyard/winery. They’re carrying two clusters per shoot, a recipe for insipid wine. like everyone else, some of their clusters are enormous.
A cluster - note the shriveled berries, a byproduct of stress, no water and - remembering I’m no vigneron - too much fruit on the vines for the available water.
Pinot gris coming in to the same winery.
Pinot gris hanging at the original estate vineyard at Ponzi. Winery operations have moved to a new facility in an area known as the Mountain Home district in the Chehalem Mountain AVA where they also have a vineyard. It’s in a little saddle one ridge to the west of Alloro. The pic will be in the next post. I’m getting a message that 3 is the limit for attachments.
Here’s the Ponzi pinot gris.
Picked 7 ton from Alloro today. Picking bins in a refer truck heading down to the Ghetto(Lompoc, that is). Will destem Friday. Love that Alloro fruit!!!
We’ve picked two lots from Oregon thus far…will be picking Thursday, Friday, and Monday to finish it up.
So far, yields are high (and that is at 1 cluster per shoot), sugars are high, acids are moderate, malics are fairly high, and we are doing a decent saignee (20%) on most juice to try to make up for the huge clusters. Definitely a good bit of the dehydration/shriveled berries that Bob noted in his picture, though I am not sure that comes from stress (take a look at the picture and show me any yellow leaves) but rather from too many berries on the clusters…so many, in fact, that you can go thru a vineyard, rub your hand down a cluster, and berries will simply fall off.
Adam Lee
Siduri Wines
My last fruit came in today, a fementer’s worth of Pommard clone pinot from Zenith. Gorgeous fruit, very clean, nice sweet with bright acids. Should make great wine. Clusters are big this year, but maybe it’s more the number of berries per cluster, not so much large berries. Some of the clusters had downright miniature berries…but lots of them. Second vintage in a row, Zenith is my favorite fruit. Nice job Tim Ramey and company.
“They’re carrying two clusters per shoot, a recipe for insipid wine.”
not necessarily. depends.
“They’re carrying two clusters per shoot, a recipe for insipid wine.”
not necessarily. depends.
I’m not a winemaker but I talk to a lot of them, and I think that most would say that, as a generalization, when making still Pinot Noir, 4+ tons/acre is a recipe for insipid wine.