Proprietor’s Blog 10/26 Harvest 2022 Comes to an End
Happy end of harvest! Yes, the time has finally come, and the long work days on the farm are behind us. Our harvest officially ended October 18th with the Syrah and Cabernet Sauvignon from Pamela’s Vineyard.
This year was a big one, with higher than expected yields and a lot of unexpected weather along the way. As harvest approached, aggressive heatwaves spiked sugar levels and pushed picking up by about two weeks across many of our vineyards.
We’re excited about what this year brings, because even with such high yields, the quality is holding up beautifully. Back in July we did a “green drop,” cutting off grapes growing in undesirable spots on the vine to direct nutrients toward the fruit in the healthiest locations. That usually means less fruit overall, yet we still produced high quality fruit at high yields this year.
As harvest wraps up, our focus turns to the winery, where we’re finishing fermentation, racking, and prepping vessels for aging. We always try a native fermentation first, letting the naturally occurring yeasts that come in on the grapes and pick bins take hold, rather than inoculating the juice. Sometimes those wild strains aren’t strong enough to carry fermentation through, or aren’t the best fit for the flavors we’re after. This year, with higher sugar levels and yields, we decided a classic strain was the safer bet, so we used D-20, a strain cultivated from Daou Mountain in Paso Robles, to ferment our Bordeaux-variety wines. It helps our Cabernet develop robust yet supple flavors, and it’s one of our favorites.
Next up is the holiday season, and we’ve got two new wines dropping November 1st: our brand new 2019 Miracle Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon from the Malibu Coast, and our 2021 Happy Canyon Sauvignon Blanc. Both are spectacular and will definitely be a hit this winter. Until they’re available on 11/1, head over to our shop to grab some great wines for this weekend.
There’s been a lot going on outside of the wine lately, so my apologies if I haven’t gotten back to you as quickly as usual. Never hesitate to send an email, we’re always happy to help.
Until next harvest, little vineyards.
Cheers,
Amanda