We harvested a total of 121.73 tons of grapes from our vineyards and purchased another 6.5 tons from three other vineyards nearby. This is either a record, or very close to a record, for our vineyards.
And, the good news is not restricted to quantity. The cellar team felt this year’s fruit was among the best they’ve ever processed. We hope to make our best wines ever this year.
So, what changed in comparison to previous years? We’ve worked hard for the past three years to manage nutrients that the vines need to produce good fruit. This starts with soil analyses to determine which nutrients and in which quantities are available for the vines and is followed by petiole analyses that helps us determine which nutrients the vines are taking up. The vines might not take up all of the nutrients they need if the soil pH is too high or too low. Also, the presence of some nutrients in overly large quantities may limit the ability of the vines to take up other nutrients. We deal with a complex balancing act when it comes to nutrient management.
We’ve also invested a lot of time managing vines that are struggling. We dropped fruit in several varieties that were struggling in order to provide them with time to store some energy for future seasons.
