Phew!

I have to say this year has gone much more smoothly than last.  Of course, that is completely logical.  We've made some improvements and are much more organized.   Again,  amazingly, we had lots and lots of help.  Friends that willingly came for a day, sometimes two, sometimes almost every day!  The weather here has been unseasonably warm, and more humid than usual too.  That makes it hot and sticky in the afternoon.

There is a section of our largest vineyard that was re-planted on a different root stock than the rest.  This section ripens a bit later, so we decided this year to harvest it a bit later. On Thursday afternoon, we started picking the Syrah.  It was a tough decision.  I have been hesitating because I think they could have ripened a bit more, but the sky looked gray to the south, and the skins on the grapes are thin.  We found a few patches of rot, so we decided to pick it.  If the rain came, the rot would spread quickly.  Tasting the juice today, I think we did the right thing.  It's delicious, with a very nice acidity,  and beautiful, rich, dark, color.

Hope you enjoy the pictures of our friends, we had such fun, and ate so well.  This year my mom decided to tackle the meals, and did she ever do a great job.  We had lots of delicious food and yummy baked goods, which helped us keep pick, pick, picking! Here she is in action! Along with all of our other friends, including; Luc and Christina, Fred and Marie Jo, and my sister Molly.   More to come soon!  Tommorrow we'll pick the last of our main vineyards, leaving only a small parcel of mourvèdre that we will harvest in late September or early October!

Comments

[John]

The photos are great! Keep them coming.
I enjoy all of your updates.
Can't wait for the next one.
John-Ohio

[Rob Cole]

Congrats on harvest! My grower told me yesterday that we've got at least 2 weeks for the Cab Franc, and possibly more if it doesn't stop raining (we just got a single day record for rainfall yesterday!)