Another long, cool growing season has graced us with wines of exceptional depth. Yes, we did have to deal with increased Mildew pressure (that is what our selection of fungicides is for!), a once-in-a-lifetime heatwave in the middle of coolness that devastated some clusters (poor Zinfandel) and we had to wait until the very end for some heat to ripen the later varieties but it all came together in a shortened and rather frantic harvest that has produced wines of incredible intensity.

I am not the only one who thinks so! Ed Sbragia, quoted in the Sonoma-Marin Farm News, said “2010 was a trying year if you are a grape grower, but 2010 is an awesome year if you are a winemaker.” Rob Davis concurs with “In my 35 years as winemaker at Jordan, I’ve never seen fruit quality this good…The flavors are complex and intense, offering tannin content that is so beautifully balanced.”

What a crazy week last week! So much to be picked in so little time. We finished in the drizzle Friday with the unfamiliar sensation of new mud clinging to our boots. Surely we experienced a most challenging growing season but have been rewarded with happily fermenting wines expressing deep rich colors and heavenly fruity aromas that were worth the wait!

We start on Thursday! Our Sauvignon blanc and Sauvignon musque grapes will be going to their new homes at the end of the week. We’ve removed the bird netting from the Sauvignon musque and, while it was pretty quick, it certainly was not as easy as putting it on! Seemed like the edges that brushed the ground became leaf and twig magnets.

After such a cool, wet Spring and lingeringly temperate Summer, finally some warm days to help raise the sugars. Nighttime temperatures are still very cool so keep your fingers crossed that we will get those sugars where they need to be!