My Photo

About

Recent Posts

Subscribe to this blog's feed
Blog powered by TypePad

Archives

More...

Wine Blogs

Reading List

Harvest

  • Vintage Report 2008
    As I write this in late February, the wines from 2008 have been cleaned up and are showing very well. After a cool spring which delayed bloom, the weather turned generally warm and dry until late October. Harvest dates were later than usual due to the late bloom, but full maturity was obtained on all varieties save for Petit Verdot. Brix levels were mid-20s on some varietals. Despite extensive shoot and crop thinning, yields were high, and in some cases higher than desired. Overall, in this winegrower's opinion, 2008 might be the best vintage yet for Kinkead Ridge. Stars for 2008 include the White Revelation (to be released Memorial Day weekend 2009) and the Cabernet Sauvignon (to be released Labor Day 2010). See http://www.KinkeadRidge.com/htm/wines.htm for a description of the past vintages.
  • 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.

Photo Album

  • View from the farmhome

« Bottling the 2008 whites, and eye-popping COGS | Main | Some days are just like this... »

2009 bottling is almost over!

All the 2008 white wine is in bottle. Only 2007 reds to go. We were hoping to get it all done before the Memorial Day opening for the white wine release, but can't. So we open May 23 and 25, then tear everything down to bottle red wine, then set the whole tasting room up again for the summer. We learned the hard way a few years ago, the wine CANNOT be cold when you bottle, or the labels don't stick. 2005 Syrah was a nightmare. Nancy, Emily, Ron Hitt, Gretchen, Judy and Ron. Photo by Gretchen and Emily's brother Logan. Logan is so tall he can stack the 7th tier on a pallet without a ladder! Note Nancy's T-shirt. It's a stamp... for .33 cents. Must be an old T-shirt since first class mail is .44 as of Monday.

Here's the happy crew on Riesling day.

Ri1  Ri2 Your friendly wine blogger,
Nancy Bentley
Owner/Managing Partner

May 13, 2009 |

Technorati Tags: , , , , , ,

TrackBack

TrackBack URL for this entry:
http://www.typepad.com/services/trackback/6a00d83467c65c69e201157085f677970b

Listed below are links to weblogs that reference 2009 bottling is almost over!:

Comments

Verify your Comment

Previewing your Comment

Posted by:  | 

This is only a preview. Your comment has not yet been posted.

Working...
Your comment could not be posted. Error type:
Your comment has been saved. Comments are moderated and will not appear until approved by the author. Post another comment

The letters and numbers you entered did not match the image. Please try again.

As a final step before posting your comment, enter the letters and numbers you see in the image below. This prevents automated programs from posting comments.

Having trouble reading this image? View an alternate.

Working...

Post a comment

Comments are moderated, and will not appear until the author has approved them.