Anticipating the 2023 Harvest: A Slow but Promising Start
The 2023 harvest season has commenced, albeit with a leisurely start. It wasn't until this past Wednesday that we saw the first grapes being plucked from the vines. In a departure from recent years, we had to wait approximately two weeks longer to begin our harvest from the historic Royal Tee Zinfandel block at Jessie’s Grove Vineyard, which has been rooted in soil since the 1880s.
As is characteristic of this vineyard, there are a few other grape varieties coexisting among the venerable Zinfandel vines. Ordinarily, our Carignan, Flame Tokay, Mission, and Black Prince grapes tend to ripen in close synchrony with the Zinfandel, but this year has proven to be an exception. Unprecedentedly, they seem to be lagging behind in ripeness. This pattern is mirrored in vineyards across the region, where grapes are expected to ripen anywhere from two to four weeks later than they did in the previous year. If this trend persists, we may find ourselves picking grapes well into the early days of November.
Evan Damiano at Haiku Vineyard
The chardonnay grapes at Haiku show great promise for a fantastic vintage.
Yet, variability doesn't end with ripening times; it extends to the crop load as well. Some vineyards are grappling with crop yields that are 40-50% below what we might consider "normal" (if there is such a thing in the world of viticulture), while others are enjoying slightly higher-than-historical-average yields. Despite these fluctuations, one thing remains consistent and promising – the quality of the grapes is exceptionally high this year.
The 2023 vintage is poised to present us with a unique set of opportunities to showcase our winemaking prowess. Thanks to the late ripening, we're planning to embrace more whole-cluster fermentations and even delve into the intriguing technique known as "carbonic maceration." In this method, every berry within the cluster takes on the role of its own individual fermentation vessel. It promises to be an exhilarating year for experimentation and exploration in our winemaking journey.
Winemaker, Evan Damiano discusses grape sampling at Haiku prior to harvest
As the season unfolds, we invite you to stay tuned for updates on our progress and discoveries. The 2023 harvest may have started slow, but it's shaping up to be an exciting chapter in our winemaking story.
Vint with Honor,
Greg La Follette and Evan Damiano