We harvested the last grapes (except for late harvest Violetta) on Tuesday. Ivo Jeramaz, Vice President of Vineyards & Production, says this vintage has been a nice, steady flow of grapes ripening, allowing us time to crush and store the fermenting juice without rushing. Ivo reports we harvested 100,500 tons, a modest crop for us. As our vines age, we are seeing an average of three tons an acre as normal. For all varietals, the quality is outstanding this vintage. The whites display a refreshing acidity and aromas; reds are packed with concentrated flavors and incredible aromatics.
We have already spread compost on all of the vineyards that we have tilled between every other row. For about 60 percent of our vineyards, we are not tilling but waiting for more cool weather and the first real rains. Once that happens, we will spread compost on the untilled rows and allow the rains to naturally percolate the compost down into the soil.