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2009 Harvest Wrap Up
The 2009 harvest was characterized by mild, sunny days that paused briefly in mid-October for a rainstorm. Following a relatively cool summer with few spikes of hot weather, we were able to leave our fruit on the vine a little longer than usual. There was even talk of taking Labor Day off-unheard of in Sonoma. But it was only talk, and we began harvest on September 3 to bring in the exceptional Alary Chardonnay.
The harvest was slow and steady right into October. The Chardonnays had a nice long hang time to develop flavors. Our red berries, especially the Malbec and Merlot, were small, which means that our reds have exceptional color and very intense, concentrated flavors. Ripe fruit flavors in our hillside vineyards developed quickly without the sugar getting too high. Therefore, when heavy rains were predicted for October 12, we were prepared to bring in the fruit that was out on the vines. The rain threw everyone into high gear, as we knew we had only a few days to harvest quite a bit of fruit. Our vineyard managers were in high demand. We have strong relationships with the best growers, who are as concerned as we are about bringing in the best quality fruit. The picking crews worked hard to harvest our fruit, as well as the fruit from other vineyards. Though the planning was stressful and the hours long, the days were also extremely exciting. With only three lots left on the vine, we will likely finish up harvest 2009 with our late harvest White Riesling. The warm weather that followed October's rain is drying up the vineyards and allowing for a final push for the last grapes to ripen. Heidi von der Mehden Associate Winemaker |
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