Harvest , Ahoy!: Finishing Projects and Prepping for Rain

After a gruesome couple of weeks manicuring the vineyard, we have dragged ourselves out of Dev 3 ( the big Cabernet Block) marking the finish line of this project . Just 3 foxy ladies  completing all 22 acres sans labor crew plucking green berries and dessicated clusters.

That’s how we roll here,  especially when it comes to dropping extra fruit and green berry picking. It sounds almost insane, however, it can really  make a  big difference concerning grape quality.Those green berries can offset acid and chance a whole year’s worth of work by spiking the juice with a green jalapeno taste. This aids us in our rain contingency plan and increases all over cluster quality and flavor.

It takes a cautious and intelligent hand to carefully inspect each cluster and pluck out that specific berry without juicing the cluster.  If you are going to be like a bear in the forest plucking blueberries then this task is not for you.  Luckily we have a Master’s in  Psychology, and two business degrees to round out this project and all projects in the vineyard , as well as in our culinary veggie gardens. At Hossfeld Vineyards we strive for substantial quality and overall excellence when it comes to these stellar hillside Bordeauxs. That’s why we go above and beyond to insure better quality and an excellent vintage.

Similar to most jobs in the wine industry , grape growing conjures up this glamorous fairy tale glitteratti image. Along the lines of the fabulous life that surrounds  tending to the vines and growing the grapes that make the fabulous wines in Napa , Sonoma, etc., even though  growers aren’t the first to be thought of when tasting wine.  For all this glamor though, this industry makes you work for it , especially if you want to be a glamorous lady wine grower here in the Napa Valley. Thomson Vineyards can attest to this as well. You can’t be light-hearted or light on your feet, you have to be dedicated to producing the best possible grapes and cracking the proverbial whip at all times. Never let your guard down or your manicure chip at all costs.

Tired, sweaty, caked in fine dust or expensive terroir, and slightly sticky, the vineyard is well on its way to harvest. Just trying to keep as many leaves as we can on all the vines as we enter into October. A long hang awaits for Cabernet Sauvignon Cabernet Franc, and Petit Verdot, Merlot and Malbec are  ripening a tad faster. Not looking forward to the potential rain in next week’s forecast, but we are implementing precautionary measures to keep quality up as we weather the potential storms that await until the end of Harvest.

It’s 95 degrees today and we are basking in the sun and heat , picking our pumpkins and cheering on the grapes hoping to gain a couple of Brix today ( we can be hopeful!)

Below are our current stats if you want to check out our performance:

CS : 22 Brix

Merlot: 23.5 Brix

Cab Franc: 21 Brix

Malbec: 21

Petit Verdot : 20

Cheers to the 2011 Vintage