Kinkead Ridge Vineyard and Estate Winery Weblog: Ron's World. The Brutality of Punchdowns

Harvest

Vintage Report 2007
An early bud break meant an early harvest; we were finished by mid-October. Sadly, it also meant several days of 80 degree weather, shoots four inches long, and then an Easter freeze which plunged the vineyard to 28 degrees. All the white wine was affected, to a tragic degree. There will be very little Viognier/Roussanne, little Riesling, and it may not even be worth bottling the Sauvignon Blanc/Semillon blend. Syrah was also heavily affected. The good news is the long dry ripening season was outstanding for Cabernet; small berries, high sugars. These wines will be reminiscent of Calistoga, higher in alcohol than our general practice.
Vintage Report 2006
As this is written (January 2007), I've had the opportunity to both reflect on the vintage past and taste the wines as they have begun to develop. Going into harvest season, the vineyard was in excellent condition. Crop load and canopy management was on target. Weather deteriorated in mid-September and some of the harvest conditions were as difficult as I've ever experienced. October in particular was troublesome as cold temperatures and excessive rainfall limited maturities. Despite the above, white wines are turning out surprisingly well. Red wines, however, are questionable and many may end up as second label when released in 2008. So far we have had a mild winter and I look forward to a spring with little winter damage and overall good growing conditions in 2007.
Vintage Report 2005
2005 in the vineyard was a vintage of extremes. Unlike 2004 where moisture, heat and humidity were well distributed, it seemed like the heat and humidity would never end. Rainfall came either not at all or in a deluge. Fortunately, harvest turned out mostly dry with only the Cabernet Sauvignon and Petit Verdot caught by rain at the end of October. In the winery, most of the fruit came in low in acid and high in sugar. Adjustments were made and fermentations, though quirky, finished well. Overall, the wines show good promise, and for some, 2005 may prove to be the best vintage yet.

How would you like to get up at 3 a.m. in the morning, drive 3 miles to the winery to punchdown, for more than two weeks. That's Ron's world. Punchdowns at 9 a.m./3 p.m./9 p.m. and 3 a.m. It's brutal but necessary.

Here's a 3 p.m. punchdown, filmed by three engineers from GE who visited today; they had some very good questions.

I'm still waiting to see if Ron can make it to New York for our prize for being a finalist in the Wine Spectator video contest: two tickets to the Grand Tasting at the New York Wine Experience, Wine Spectator. If he can't make it, I'm hanging out with Amy! Her video, about Hocus Pocus, their friends, and their syrah, won the grand prize!

The weather is glorious. It's as good as it gets in Ohio. The trees are turning color, and it looks like a Vermont fall. Puffy clouds, warm days, cool nights.

Your friendly wine blogger
Nancy Bentley, Owner/Managing Partner, Kinkead Ridge

Kinkead Ridge Vineyard and Estate Winery Weblog

The day to day joys and trials of a small ultra-premium all vinifera vineyard and estate winery in historic Ripley, Ohio. The owners formerly owned Chehalem Valley Vineyards in Yamhill, Oregon. Looking for a new challenge, they sold that 40-acre Pinot Noir vineyard to Tony Soter in 1997.

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