2016 Harvest Report | By Christian Palmaz

As of Oct 12th, 2016

Earlier this morning at 6 AM we officially finished harvest.  Although tomorrow evening threatens to bring the first significant rainfall of the season, the team brought in the last two parcels from 1,400′ with calm and poise.  Excellent planning, good forecasting, and a little help from nature helped make the 2016 growing season predictable and unexciting.  The fruit quality is consistent, excellent, and abundant.  We greatly look forward to seeing this vintage evolve through fermentation and barrel aging.

AS OF OCT 9TH, 2016

Wrapping up the harvest meeting this morning, the end is in sight…and just in time.  Nature is lining up a series of low pressure fronts that will bring multiple days of harvest-ending precipitation starting next Friday.  Fortunately, the last few parcels of Cabernet and Merlot from 1,400′ will be in by Wednesday.  We can now confidently say that 2016 will join the company of some of the best vintages in the last 20 years.

Soon we will be posting the weather graphs for this vintage and also studying the results of our latest vineyard technology VIGOR (Vineyard Infrared Growth Optical Recognition).  By essentially taking vineyard infrared imagery from an aircraft twice a week and correlating with soil moisture we are able to more accurately adjust our irrigation plant by plant, week over week.  Initial comments from the winemaking team point to some of the most even ripening characteristics ever achieved while also lowering our water consumption significantly.  Just like FILCS, VIGOR will get smarter with the more data we feed it.  Overall, I consider our first vintage employing VIGOR a success.

As of Oct 2nd, 2016

The 2016 harvest is among us!  As we round the corner on October, we are just past 50% through harvest.  A warm 2nd and 3rd week of September contributed to rising brix.  After modest temperatures from August, I’m proud of the team for sticking with a restrained leaf thinning plan leaving the fruit well shaded in the event heat returns.  October 2nd brought less than 30 minutes of an isolated rain shower reminding us that nature still has a sense of humor during harvest.  Despite the short rain event, we’ll be back out there tonight to continue harvest.

Despite these minor harvest hurdles, the winemakers are beaming with the fruit quality.  The 2016 season has provided ample time to develop complex and mature aromas, flavors, and color.  As of now the extended forecast appears to allow sufficient time to finish the harvest and hopefully conclude a vintage with 2015’s intensity and 2012’s prolific yields.  All in all, a growing season for which to be thankful.

Stay tuned for updates on the harvest tracker!