Vineyard & Winery Blog 2007

[Rebel Rose]

It's time once again to begin our annual eGullet vintage wine blog. I hope that we'll enjoy posts from wineries throughout California, and weather/wineamking updates from members living in wine country. I'd also be delighted if our European, African and Australian members keep us updated on harvest weather and winemaking--it's my goal to eventually have several vintage threads happening at once!

For previous years' vintage blogs, see the wine blogs listed above in our list of Wine 101 threads.

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Our 2007 California vintage starts off cry and crispy, with no rain and record low temperatures. January is normally a stormy month with slamming Pacific storms and plenty of rainfall. But contrary to schedule, this year we have had no rainfall and freezer-burn temperatures. This is supposed to be California, for Pete's sake! Twelve degree nights? Yikes. One morning in January as we were taking the kid to school, the outside temperature registered at 16 degrees.

Broken pipes and busted well housings and gauges kept plumbing and drilling firms backlogged, and vineyard owners biting their knuckles.

Yesterday, Dan and I met in the creekside wine barn to barrel sample our spring releases. It's my job to taste each wine or blend and write the notes that will become back labels, tasting notes, and marketing materials. But it was 48 degrees in the wine barn, and the wines were very, very cold. This is a writing exercise which is demanding under the best of circumstances, as I have to anticipate how bottling, bottle shock, and bottle age will affect the finished flavors, and with the wines so cold I was definitely handicapped. It didn't help that Dan was looking over my shoulder and saying, "Are you done yet?" as I attempted to warm each wine sample in my hands like a baby chick. He'll be lucky if the wine labels don't say . . . "tastes . . . refreshing."

Today we are enjoying a warm front and the first flush of rain. Cover crops are sprouting and although there is still moisture in the soil from December, it's down deep, so the tiny roots are grateful for this refresher.

Let me know if you have any questions!

[dockhl]

Mary~

nice to see the blog start up again. My skin is soaking in the moisture in the air (first time in 3 months I haven't been ITCHY!) and I am hoping this will be a nice week-long drizzle. Ahh.

I was wondering how this dry winter would affect things since the last two were so wet. Do the vines get into a pattern, have a memory? (I guess that sounds goofy but this is not my thing ) I imagine this would go back to root depth, etc. How do you think they'll respond to a little rain and warm (40-50') temps? Grow their little hearts out?

The cold was stunning. I haven't felt anything like that since I moved from Pennsylvania in 1980 !

Best~

Kathy

[Rebel Rose]

Vines do have a memory, albeit a very slow one. Part of the challenge of viticulture is to anticipate long term weather conditions when pruning, watering, or fertilizing and only adjust as necessary in order to fool the vineyard into thinking it is enjoying an optimum year, so the vines will remain in good health and balanced.

At this point, the rain is mainly important for replenishing our water tables and irrigation ponds. Winter/spring rains generally stop by late April/mid May, so we count on getting the bulk of our vintage water in the months from October to March. Our well water was beginning to smell sulfurous, which is a sign that the water table is getting low.

As the vines are dormant this time of year, the cold has not affected them (we hope) but I have heard reports of some vines in the north counties bursting as accumulated moisture in the trunks expanded with freezing temperatures. More of an occasional anomaly, I understand, and not widespread.

We are almost done pruning, but taking our time yet. We don't want the vines to bud out until danger of hard frost is past. However, we are tucked into the hills where frost pockets exist, and our vineyard is planted to syrah and zinfandel. Growers on maritime sites in the Monterey/Santa Barbara areas with white varieties and pinot noir generally complete pruning earlier than we do.

Timing is critical, as growers want to get the vines past hard frosts before budding, and then ideally flowering after hard spring storms, as rain and wind interfere with pollination. But you also want to get the vines past delicate spring growth before hot weather arrives, typically in May.

It's a dance with the bitch goddess Weather, the waltz starts now. We'll see how she treats us in 2007.

[Casey Hartlip]

It's wet and pretty cold up here in the great northwest (well Mendocino County anyway). This rain couldn't have happened at a better time. My flowering plums are very close to popping and I have an almond tree that has some blooms open.

I don't want my grapes getting silly and thinking its spring yet.

Nice to get back into some 'pot roast' weather. Gonna put a hunk of grass fed beef in a pot and cook the darn thing for most of the day and whip out a bottle of Syrah come dark! Hope we get some snow this month!

CH.....

[dockhl]

It's wet and pretty cold up here in the great northwest (well Mendocino County anyway).  This rain couldn't have happened at a better time.  My flowering plums are very close to popping and I have an almond tree that has some blooms open.

I don't want my grapes getting silly and thinking its spring yet. 

Nice to get back into some 'pot roast' weather.  Gonna put a hunk of grass fed beef in a pot and cook the darn thing for most of the day and whip out a bottle of Syrah come dark!  Hope we get some snow this month!

CH.....

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Casey~

it is interesting but here it has been so cold that it hasn't rained. This week it has warmed up to the 40's at night (as opposed to the teens-20's) and seems to welcome the rain. Ahh. It is weather to leave your windows open at night to hear and feel the rain

This weekend we are supposed to have temps of 40'-60' and lots of rain. NICE...........(esp since it is WEEKEND!)

[Casey Hartlip]

Just dumped an inch and three quarters of beautiful rain water from my gauge this morning. The funny thing is there's not a single mud puddle to be found. Mother Earth just soaked up the stuff and said, "Thank you may I have another!"

[Carolyn Tillie]

Nice to hear from you, Casey! Hope all is going well for you...

[Rebel Rose]

Welcome, Casey!

Casey is a highly regarded Mendocino grower. You can learn more about his vineyard, which is owned by Casey and his partner John Scharfenberger (of chocolate and sparkling wine fame) at Eaglepoint Ranch Winery. Casey also takes great photos . . .

[Casey Hartlip]

Thanks for the welcoming words Mary and Carrie!

Another weather update:

Add another inch-and-a-half to the total! I could hear it raining most of the night last night. Its come so fast now that we're seeing RUNOFF! Some of these little streams are running a bit. I had to go out yesterday and check some culverts and ditches just to make sure everything was okay.

I'm throwing a surprise 60th birthday party for my South African buddy who stays with us every year. It would be nice if maybe it might stop for a few hours while people are arriving and driving home, but I'm not going to ASK the weather gods for that. One of my buddies is bringing bear chili, and I'm cooking a wild pork ham YUM!

[Rebel Rose]

Is that a Mendocino bear? I know our neighbors* at the end of Dover Canyon Road see black bear occasionally, and one neighbor at the very end of the road looked out their kitchen window one morning and saw a bear feasting on a deerkill just 50 feet from the house.

And the pork--would that be wild hog from around your vineyard? Do they do any damage to the vineyard, or does deer fencing effectively keep them out?

* Anyone within 5-10 miles of us is considered a "neighbor."

[Casey Hartlip]

Yes, that would be Cali-bear, but not from Mendo. NOT that we don't have our share right here at Eaglepoint! One of my huntin' buddies got this black bear some where up in the Sierras, that's all I know.

The pork is certainly Mendo as it came from a friend's vineyard in Hopland. I get calls from these folks quite often to help with population control. Hogs have no problem getting under deer fencing, since they can dig so well with their noses. And yes, the damage can be extensive to soils and even the vines themselves. I've seen vines pulled over from BIG hogs eating the grapes in the fall.

Then there's turkeys...We're starting to get over run with those darn buggers. Good thing they taste so good!

[Rebel Rose]

Last year was far too wet and wooly, and this year is far too frosty and dry!

Last winter season, November through February, we received over 20" of rain. Our annual yearly average, including spring rains, is around 22".

This year, we have received only 5" of rain since last summer.

Our brethren to the north are reporting some good rainfall this last week, so let's hope some drifts our way soon. The weather patterns are extremely variable right now, so it's much more accurate to look out the window than follow the weather forecasts.

[Casey Hartlip]

Looks like the storm door is gonna swing shut for a while. We ended up with about 5.5 inches and I swear the cover crop has jumped 2" in the past 4-5 days. The small creeks are already slowing down as the water is soaking in. I sure don't want too much of a warm up now. I want those vines to stay sleeping!

[Casey Hartlip]

The last couple days have made me uncomfortable with these days in the 70's. The pruning wounds are bleeding now. Glad to see some more rain on the horizon. Word is snow levels will be 3500 feet here in just a couple more days. I'll take the dogs for a walk ths afternoon and try to enjoy this last day of false spring!

[Casey Hartlip]

Looks like Ma Nature has been listening: I was hoping it would cool off and get wet, we might get both wishes at once. I know some of you folks loved that couple of days in the 70 degree range and were doing a bunch of outdoor activities.

We don't want these vine thinking that spring is here IN MID-FEBRUARY! I think everyone knows that we're WAY behind on rainfall too. Looks like a nice wet/cold storm headed this way starting tomorrow. I think its time for either grass fed beef stew or short ribs with a Syrah for dinner!

Cheers

[ludja]

Great post, I had enjoyed the wonderful weather the last few days and was mentally pouting a bit seeing the forecast for the next week. I *knew* we needed the rain and am now even happier that it will help the grapes!

[Raoul Duke]

I'm sittin' here in my office looking out at the rain that has finally started. A slight drizzle coming in from the S/SE, with some wind behind it. The California bike tour rolls into San Luis Obispo today along with the weather. Nice to get some moisture on the olive grove.

[Rebel Rose]

An olive grove, eh? How large is your grove? What type of olives? What do you do with them?

[Casey Hartlip]

I was hoping to see some snow this morning, but its all on the higher peaks around us. The good news is that we've received 9" of rainfall since Feb 7th bringing our total up to 21" for the season. Looks like the drought scare of January (a month that saw only 1") might be nothing more than a reason for us farmers to freak out.

[ludja]

I was hoping to see some snow this morning, but its all on the higher peaks around us.  The good news is that we've received 9" of rainfall since Feb 7th bringing our total up to 21" for the season.  Looks like the drought scare of January (a month that saw only 1") might be nothing more than a reason for us farmers to freak out.

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When does the season start in terms of measuring rain accumulation and what is the total range of rain you look for this time of year? Are you approaching a "safety zone" where there has been enough rain or late enough in the season?

I hadn't realized the peaks were high enough around there for snow. We do have some snow in the Santa Cruz Mountains (~2000-2300 ft) right now but I guess I'm not sure how high the mountains are around Anderson Valley. Is there a reason you wanted snow at lower elevations for the grapes?

Thanks!

[Rebel Rose]

A refreshing 3+" of rain were delivered this week. Today is a rain-washed, sunny morning with more rain predicted for the next 10 days. But now I'm watching the forecast flow anxiously--we need it to be clear on March 8th for our bottling. Praying for rain before and after the 8th. We also have a major wine festival in two weeks. So it would be nice if it rains at night and is sunny in the morning. Off to write my "Dear Weather" letter.

[Casey Hartlip]

When does the season start in terms of measuring rain accumulation and what is the total range of rain you look for this time of year? Are you approaching a "safety zone" where there has been enough rain or late enough in the season?

I'm pretty happy if we can get 25" or more with well timed rainfall. The most important is getting enough in the spring to have a full soil profile going into budbreak. I LOVE it when we're still getting rainfall up to the first of April.

I hadn't realized the peaks were high enough around there for snow. We do have some snow in the Santa Cruz Mountains (~2000-2300 ft) right now but I guess I'm not sure how high the mountains are around Anderson Valley. Is there a reason you wanted snow at lower elevations for the grapes?

Eaglepoint isn't in Anderson Valley, although our PO box is there as that's where my office help lives, we're on the east side of the town of Ukiah. With the vineyard topping out at 1800 ft our ranch goes up to 2700. It would have been fun to have some snow in the vineyard just for the hell of it. Fun to go walk the dogs in the snow and shoot some photos. I posted a pic from last years snow on this site somewhere (I started an album) but heck if I can find the shot!

[Raoul Duke]

An olive grove, eh?  How large is your grove?  What type of olives?  What do you do with them?

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Before we get into the olives, I gotta tell ya that Cujo is one of the best balanced Zin's I've had in a long time. 2-17 tasted 8 wineries, 2-24 re-tasted some and added another 3 tastings and still liked that Cujo. Both times with out of town visitors who also loved it enough to purchase for travel to N. Dakota and Orygun.

Since I really don't know you this isn't a shameless plug, but I'll be back for more.

The olives are 1200 trees, 400 Lucca on traditional planting 10' X 20' and 800 Arbequina trellised for high density planting at 18' 5'. The Lucca are a strain developed by UC Davis for Cali to resist frost and drought, similar to Frantoio. Good fruit flavor with heavy pepper on the palate. The Arbequina are the Spanish varietal with less spice and well developed fruit flavors.

This year the frost took it's toll on my trees, the 2 y/o Arbequina got burnt bad as did a number of other growers trees. This comes after last year being the worst year for oil in Cali since the '40's. But it's farming.

[Rebel Rose]

Thanks, Raoul! I'm glad you were impressed with the 2005 Cujo Zinfandel. We've been producing that blend for 10 years--this release has a high percentage of Benito Dusi 80-year-old vine fruit in it.

Twelve hundred trees is a large "grove." Do you sell some to Pasolivo? Where do you market your fruit? Will the olive trees recover from the freezing temperatures that have damaged our citrus crops so heavily?

Ten minutes ago, a gorgeous rainbow busted loose over the vineyard. The sun was shining, but we have been blessed with sporadic and colorful drizzles off and on all day. You can't easily see the vineyard from the house for the trees, but if you squint, you will see a few rows of syrah down the hill, and the roof of our wine barn. The town of Paso Robles proper lies 15 miles directly behind the rainbow.

[dockhl]

Beautiful, Mary, thank you