After several winters of lower-than-normal rainfall, the winter of 2004/2005 brought some much needed moisture to our soils. The vines were replenished and had a healthy, happy start to their growing season as budbreak began in March. The season progressed at a fairly “normal” pace until mid-summer, when we saw unseasonably warm weather. Throughout July and early August, the temperature hovered between the mid-90’s and low 100’s, which caused the vines to slow their growth in order to protect themselves from the heat. The high heat broke in mid-August, allowing the grapes to ripen.

 

The first grapes harvested were Syrah grapes for the Roseum program, on September 9th. We had such great success with the 2004 Roseum (sold out by mid-summer) that we decided to increase production in 2005. We picked the Syrah from our Huerhuero vineyard and put the grapes into the destemmer and crusher and then loaded them directly into the press. They soaked in the press for 10 hours, which allowed the juice to absorb color and flavor from the skins. It was then pressed into a stainless steel tank for a long, cool fermentation, retaining the fresh berry flavors characteristic of our Roseum.

 

The weather during the rest of harvest remained perfect for ripening – warm, sunny days and cool nights to maintain the grapes’ acidity. Yields were higher than the last few years due to the increased rainfall the previous winter. We did quite a bit of crop thinning prior to harvest to ensure that quality and yield were optimal.

 

September saw the harvesting of most of our Syrah and Petit Verdot, followed by Cabernet Sauvignon and Petite Sirah in October. We finished harvest on November 7, nearly 6 weeks after our last harvested fruit in 2004! Needless to say, we were all tired after such a long “crush” but the wine quality is proving to be excellent.

 

As 2005 comes to a close, we are putting the final lots to barrel for aging and are finalizing the blends for our 2004 wines, which will receive another 6 months of aging before they are bottled in the summer of 2006.  We are also preparing to bottle the 2005 Roseum before the year is over, so that it is ready for release in February of 2006.