This is the last load of grapes for 2009.  This Pinot came from Chula Vina and was a few bins of 777 and 115.  Tastes great and was really cold when it came in.  We picked it and processed it and I think we are ready for this storm that is coming in.  I’m doubtful that we will really get as much rain as they say—storms don’t tend to have much moisture left by the time they get here, but I certainly wouldn’t complain if it did rain!

Racking Riesling

This is a photos of me racking Riesling the other day.  I have never made Riesling before but have a few ideas I am applying.  Here, I am looking for grape solids—the cloudiness in this juice is tartrates.  It is sometimes difficult to tell the tartrates from the lees, so I use a more tactile method to figure out when to stop racking and thereby reserve as much good juice as possible.  I was able to get a very clear separation as the tank chilled cold relatively quickly and it turned out that the lees were very compact in the tank. A very good start indeed…

I have been meaning to update this blog for quite sometime, but haven’t had much time recently.  We have brought in Pinot Noir from Hilltop Ranch and Palisades Vineyards, both in Carmel Valley, and have brought in most of the Pinot Noir from Chula Vina.  We are waiting now for our first ever Riesling to get here—5 minutes ago it was on River Road near the Chualar Bridge.  Yes, Riesling.  We will make an off-dry wine from this and will see how it goes.  I have a few ideas to apply to this wine, so we will see.  Here is a photo taken just a few minutes ago and is my view from the forklift.  It wouldn’t be harvest if we didn’t do a few late night shifts.  Tonight is one of them.

A side benefit of my job is driving around the Monterey region in the fall.  I have always enjoyed this time of year, and as the angle of the sun changes, so do those fall colors and shadows.  This is one view of the northern end of the Santa Lucias near the River Road/Chualar Canyon Rd. Intersection. No, no grapevines in this photo—this ain’t Napa Valley afterall…

We were supposed to have quite a heatwave this week, put it hasn’t gotten as hot as predicted.  All grapes are hanging until further notice.  It is good for us at the winery as we currently have lots of punchdowns to do and loose ends to tie up.  I’m catching up on my sleep which feels good.  This job can be very physical—which is good and bad.  I will be 39 at the end of this year, but sometimes I feel like a crotchety old woman after a whole day of running around, climbing ladders, walking vineyards, doing punchdowns, etc.  My grandmother is well into her 80’s and is still going strong and has done physical work all her life.  So I figure if it works for her, then it should work for me.  I hope to continue this work as long as I can, and as honestly as I can, but when I am as tired as I have been lately, I find myself questioning that notion.

This harvest has been the quickest in my recent memory.  We have had grapes coming in left and right.  Processing white and red grapes at the same time has been a rare event here, but is something we’ve done this season most every day we have processed grapes.  Usually white grapes come in before red grapes, but this year due to the relatively mild weather we have had, I guess, everything has come in at once.  In most vineyards, the crop seems to be a little lighter than last year.  It is looking like we may actually be done with bringing in grapes by the end of the last week in September, which is a record for us.  I’ve been looking at past years and we aren’t normally done until the end of October.
I am making much more white wine than ever before this year, and am contemplating starting a Riesling program as well.  So, for you white wine lovers, we will have more variety available than ever from 2009, including 3 vineyard designated Chardonnays.

It has been a hectic start to harvest.  We’ve had a few little heat waves followed by cool days and nights.  So far, we have brought in Chula Vina Chardonnay & some Tondre Grapefield Pinot Noir.  Today, the remaining Tondre Pinot is coming in, in addition to a little Tondre Chardonnay, which is new for us.  I will be back soon with photos and more updates.