Harvest ‘08 has begun!
Harvest started on September 30th with 8 tons of beautiful Chardonnay from Graves & McDuffie Vineyards. Our new conveyer and sorting system are making a measurable contribution to the quality of our wine. Some Syrah and Merlot arrived on the 1st of October and fermentation has begun. The fruit appears to be ripening well and has substantially caught up on the tough cold spring.
Some of the many arts of crush include:
1) Absolute perfect timing on the pick of the grapes.
Most people agree that there is a 2-3 day window at which the grapes are at their very best relative to what that year’s weather conditions will tolerate.
2) Processing the grapes in a sensible and efficient way without compromising quality. This means you use your press very very gently in order to strike a proper balance between yield of juice and quality. Most wineries operate their press at higher pressures than we do and generally get a few more gallons per ton of grapes. We stay comfortably on the side of under press to avoid generating any sharp flavors from squeezing the stems and seeds at too high a pressure.
3) Preparing the proper barrels for our in-barrel fermentation of Chardonnay and Pinot Gris, and selecting the proper yeasts and letting nature handle the fermentation process.
This looks like it could be a great year. Stay tuned for more.
