August 24th Harvest Update: Getting Ready

Posted: August 26, 2018

We begin our harvest in less than one week, and the energy around the winery is tangible.

The once familiar sense of quiet that descends upon the crush pad from Spring through Summer has disappeared completely as our Cellar and Vineyard Teams work to clean and prepare all equipment, organize fruit bins, and tend to final pruning in the vineyards.

We’re anticipating earlier and heavier rains this October – the very rains that typically mark the end of the Harvest season. Everything in our harvest plan hinges on the precise timing of our picking in relation to those rains. Starting too early – especially with our red varietals – means picking before the grapes have come into their peak ripeness, while lingering too long leaves our fruit on the vine at risk to high rain exposure.

With this in mind, we’re waiting for the perfect moment to strike – or, as Winemaker Peter Heitz explains, “the moment when we know it’s time to hold on with all our might and go, go, go.”