Harvest 2009! First grapes picked and pressed today…
The family joins the crew in celebration as the first grapes enter the hopper!
We brought in our first grapes of the season this morning with the vineyard crew picking a 1.26 acre block of Wente clone Chardonnay in the chilly morning hours. This particular clone has a lot of muscat character and had just reached the point where the berries were singing with flavor!
When the fruit arrived on the crush pad, the Trefethen family joined the crew in celebrating the start of the 2009 Harvest. Nothing like popping the cork on a bottle of sparkling wine at 8:30 in the morning! None for the forklift drivers, of course….
After loading the press with grapes, we headed back out to the vineyard to taste grapes and discuss harvest plans for the rest of the week. We have another Wente clone selection that is nearly ready. This one is called “Hens and Chicks” for its tendency to produce large and small berries on each cluster. We’re also looking at some Dijon clone Chardonnay as well as some Pinot Noir for later this week.
Happy Harvest!
Jon Ruel
