Only One Week To Crush!

Things are moving along at lightning speed this year. With all the warm weather we are having and a lighter crop on most of the vineyards, the grapes are definitely ripening faster. I visited Stagecoach Vineyard on Monday and was expecting to see under ripe grapes. What a surprise I had when I got out of my car and started walking the vineyard (see pictures). The crop is a lot less this year (around 3 tons compared to 4.5 tons last year) and the grapes are already at 22.5° Brix! I usually pick them at around 25° Brix and this time of year they are normally only at around 18° Brix. So what doe this mean? Normally the sugar content increases by around 1° Brix per week. So, instead of harvesting in late October (like the last two years), I’ll probably be picking them in about 3 weeks. Not really a problem as the grapes look fantastic with a lot of color and flavor plus the lighter crop will lead to a richer, more concentrated wine. All up, it should be a great vintage this year. I’ll be heading back up to Furlong Vineyard in the Alexander Valley and St. Mark’s Vineyard in the Russian River Valley on Saturday and will probably start harvesting next week. It looks like crush is her and all I can say is: “Bring it on!”