Amber Ridge valley fruit (115 clone) is between 25 and 26 and needs to come off that vine ASAP! Going to do a light crush on a ton and a half up in Napa this afternoon, then put the must into a five-day cold soak. Hoping to do a field mix of 1/3 667 and 2/3 115 but will make that call on the spot.
The Devoto pick I'm putting on Tuesday 10/5, will be in the vineyard Friday taking brix and pH measurements, am expecting an average between 23-24. It's been warm up there though cooling a bit of late on Gold Ridge.
Thursday, September 30, 2010
Monday, September 20, 2010
Devoto Field Report 9/17/2010
Was in the vineyard Friday morning, a cooler, overcast day in Sebastopol. Did most comprehensive brix survey to date this year (via refractometer, at left) and was pleased to see much more even readings than last year, though visually the ripening isn't as even as I might like. The average brix was 21.7, up a couple degrees from two weeks ago. Am hoping for a few more weeks of hang time; Stan and I are tentatively putting harvest at October 5th!
Here's a shot of the bird netting over the vines. Working great. Big worry now is rain, we had some Saturday night and we're now weighing our spraying options (against mildew) vs harvest...
Tuesday, September 14, 2010
Devoto Field Report 9/3/2010
in m
Finally posting field data for Devoto Gardens from my trip on 9/3! While San Francisco has been shrouded in fog (here's the Golden Gate on my return trip about noon, it was even worse in the morning!), the hills of Sebastopol have been basking in beautiful 80 degree days in September. In general it had been a cold, slow-ripening summer until a heat spike (multiple mid-90's days) in the last days of August.
Stan has been on the ball with natural fungicides throughout the cool summer as well as more aggressive leaf pruning. He irrigated for the first time for six hours just prior to the heat spike too, managing to avoid serious sunburn/shrivel; the fruit is in much better shape than his neighbors. Brix was at 19, ripening has been a tad uneven (some hens and chicks, though not unexpected for these younger vines) though the flavors were auspicious. Here is an example of the green fruit dropped the week of 9/3.
Here's a shot of the netti
ng Stan bought, which went up last week to keep the birds at bay this year!
Am currently putting my pick date on October 6, a few weeks later than last year. The yields look to be about the same as last year. The 2009 fruit, which is still in barrel, is really shaping up to be something special, and this year is already showing more maturity with some focus that I didn't see until later last year.
This shot here of a row in the 828 block highlights something I appreciate about this vineyard: the natural, somewhat unkempt row cover. This is a farmer's vineyard: no sterile, showcase, heavy-chemical or machined landscaping for visual purposes, nothing over-disc'd (Stan discs every other year) possibly creating a hard-pan distressing to young roots -- just a rich, live vineyard you can almost taste!
Oh, and did I mention the organic apples and tomatoes Stan also grows, a bag of which I am always happy to take!
Finally posting field data for Devoto Gardens from my trip on 9/3! While San Francisco has been shrouded in fog (here's the Golden Gate on my return trip about noon, it was even worse in the morning!), the hills of Sebastopol have been basking in beautiful 80 degree days in September. In general it had been a cold, slow-ripening summer until a heat spike (multiple mid-90's days) in the last days of August.
Stan has been on the ball with natural fungicides throughout the cool summer as well as more aggressive leaf pruning. He irrigated for the first time for six hours just prior to the heat spike too, managing to avoid serious sunburn/shrivel; the fruit is in much better shape than his neighbors. Brix was at 19, ripening has been a tad uneven (some hens and chicks, though not unexpected for these younger vines) though the flavors were auspicious. Here is an example of the green fruit dropped the week of 9/3.Here's a shot of the netti
ng Stan bought, which went up last week to keep the birds at bay this year!Am currently putting my pick date on October 6, a few weeks later than last year. The yields look to be about the same as last year. The 2009 fruit, which is still in barrel, is really shaping up to be something special, and this year is already showing more maturity with some focus that I didn't see until later last year.
This shot here of a row in the 828 block highlights something I appreciate about this vineyard: the natural, somewhat unkempt row cover. This is a farmer's vineyard: no sterile, showcase, heavy-chemical or machined landscaping for visual purposes, nothing over-disc'd (Stan discs every other year) possibly creating a hard-pan distressing to young roots -- just a rich, live vineyard you can almost taste!
Oh, and did I mention the organic apples and tomatoes Stan also grows, a bag of which I am always happy to take!
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