No doubt about it – we are in the thick of it. It is now raining lightly and we expect continued wet weather over the next several days. We enjoyed a picture perfect September, with day after day in the mid 80’s; but things changed quickly over the weekend. Last week was our busiest of the harvest, and this week we expect the hectic pace to continue. Most of the white grapes, particularly Sauvignon Blanc and Chardonnay, have been picked. A fair amount of Pinot Noir from warmer regions is already in, but a large amount of fruit remains on the vines. Many growers are “spraying and praying.”
All the grapes we had under contracted are currently fermenting. While we didn’t always receive as much fruit as we wanted, the quality of the fruit appears excellent, and we are confident Evelyn will produce some knockout wines from the 2011 vintage.
Another Harvest Fair – another slew of ribbons. Our 2010 Russian River Valley Pinot Gris won a GOLD MEDAL; and SILVER MEDALS went to our 2008 Alexander Valley Cabernet Sauvignon, 2009 Russian River Valley Chardonnay, 2008 Russian River Valley Chardonnay Garagistes, 2010 Sonoma County Rose of Pinot Noir, 2008 Russian River Valley Pinot Noir, and 2009 Russian River Valley Riesling.
It’s a busy month for everyone at the winery. Yesterday we hosted a reception for wine clubs in western Sonoma County. On Sunday, October 9th, we will have our fall President’s Club party – this time in our new picnic area. Two weeks later, on October 23, we will host our annual Harvest Party. Kaitlyn and Greg are in full party mode. I’ll be off to Colorado and Massachusetts for fall tastings, and the folks in the cellar have more than enough to do in the weeks ahead.
If you are planning on attending one of our upcoming events, we are looking forward to seeing you. Any time you are in the area you are more than welcome to drop in for a taste of two of our award winning wines.
Cheers to Harvest 2011!
Cheers,
Mike Tierney
President, Taft Street Winery