The Home Stretch

Fall Colors at Stagecoach Vineyards

When crush started in the first week of September this year, I honestly thought it would all be over by early October. But there really is no way to predict how harvest will go. Furlong Estates Vineyard ended up being picked in two separate lots, 2 weeks apart. St. Mark’s Vineyard was picked in early October and as for Stagecoach — well, the grapes are still hanging on the vines. The leaves are all changing color, the nights are getting cooler and the grapes are just finishing up their ripening. My block of Syrah happens to be in one of the cooler spots of the vineyard and the grapes always like to take there time to ripen. This is the third year I've harvested grapes from Stagecoach and I am finally starting to see a pattern. Sugar levels in the grapes tends to rise fairly quickly in early September and then stop for a few weeks. The grapes seem to just hang out there picking up flavors but not getting any sweeter. Finally something changes around mid-October and the vines kick into gear again and the sugar begins to rise.

The Grapes Are Almost Ready

So, here we are, the last week in October and I am finally picking Stagecoach on Wednesday. I delivered the picking bins yesterday and it was another glorious day up there. I know most people say size doesn’t matter, but when I see the size of the rocks that have come out of the ground to make way for the grape vines, it is a truly impressive site. There are piles of very large boulders scattered around the edge of the vineyard as a reminder to what the ground is like up there. The one I am standing next to is probably one of the biggest, and it sure is impressive. When I walk the vineyard, I always have to watch out for large rocks that litter the ground. With so little soil, the grapes really have to struggle to produce their fruit. But this leads to some wonderfully flavored grapes and incredible wine.

Size matters??

The grapes will be harvested early in the morning. It usually takes about 45 minutes to pick the block (compared to the 3 hours it took us to pick the same amount from St. Mark’s Vineyard). Below is a video from last years harvest showing how quickly the crew works. Please note, that I have not sped up the video!