Kinkead Ridge Vineyard and Estate Winery Weblog: Nancy's New York Groove

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.

As a finalist in the Wine Spectator video contest, we won tickets to the New York Wine Experience Grand Tasting, held in the Marriott Marquis hotel on Times Square... an opportunity to taste 250 wines, all rated 90 or above by the Spectator. The first wine I tasted was a 2002 Marques de Grinon, 100% Petit Verdot, retail $40, an interesting comparison to our upcoming $20 2005 Petit Verdot. I ended with some amazing Ausleses, and there was also a group of fantastic vintage Champagnes. The winners of the contest, Amy and Peter, producers of Hocus Pocus Syrah, had a similar scenario to Ron and myself; her Peter and my Ron were overwhelmed with crush and could not attend. So Amy and I toured the floor together.
I came home to find Ron poring over a piece of graph paper, with plans to expand the front of the vineyard!

Here's a little video I made of that dark and stormy outside, but glittery inside, evening. It was a once in a lifetime opportunity.

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.

About

Recent Posts

Archives

Wine Blogs

Reading List

Harvest

Photo Album

Nancy's New York Groove

TrackBack

Comments

Post a comment