Fruit Quality Good with Balanced Wines, Lower Sugar Levels - FairPlay/El Dorado SKINNER VINEYARDS reports on HARVEST

Ryan Skinner, General Manager of Skinner Vineyards, Fair Play, Eldorado County, gathered this information from winemaker Chris Pittenger:

Winemaker Chris Pittenger, left,
Ryan Skinner, GM, right

"The Never Ending Harvest continues...


The stories of doom and gloom for Harvest 2011 have been as rampant as bunch rot, and I’m sure that most of us are tired of hearing about it by now.

While we are not immune to the forces of Mother Nature, the story at Skinner Vineyards is different from most that we've been hearing, thus perhaps worth sharing.

We have fared well as it relates to rot, but our two estate vineyards took the brunt of harsh late winter conditions in April, May, and June. For example, on May 16th alone, we had snow, rain, hail, lightning, heavy winds, frost and sunshine at our 2700’ hillside vineyard in Fair Play – all within a 12-hour period. Our steep slopes usually protect us from frost conditions, but continuously cold and wet weather throughout spring resulted in a very poor fruit set in many of our blocks. This, coupled with the one of the coolest growing seasons on record, resulted in very low yields and an extremely late harvest. 


However, not all is doom and gloom at Skinner.  Aside from the reduced yields, the fruit quality that we are seeing in the winery has been surprisingly good. Our growers and vineyard crews have worked diligently to drop unevenly ripened fruit and the occasional rot. While it is too early to tell how things will end up, we are seeing balanced wines at lower sugar levels, much like 2010.

Our first picks occurred on October 1st, which was the same day as 2010 (another late harvest). A surprise rain event greeted us shortly afterwards and put harvest on hold until October 15th. Since then, fruit has been coming in at a steady pace over the last two weeks with a mix of Syrah, Grenache, Viognier, Marsanne, Roussanne, and Grenache Blanc. We still have a little Syrah and Mourvedre hanging out which we anticipate picking within the first week or two of November – weather permitting of course." ~ author, Chris Pittenger.


More about Skinner Vineyards (from their website and press materials)

 HERITAGE 

In 1852, an ambitious young Scottish immigrant named James Skinner came west to Foster's Bar Northwest of Coloma in search of gold and opportunity for his family.  A successful miner he also discovered the unvarnished beauty of the Sierra Foothills - along with an ideal climate in which to grow Rhóne varietals. He purchased land West of Placerville in Rescue along the old Pony Express Trail in the mid 1850s.  He planted vines, and by 1861 Skinner established one of the first commercial wineries in California, a family business that thrived until the early 1900s. 

One hundred and fifty years and seven generations later, Mike and Carey Skinner have set out to bring Skinner wines back to the Sierra Foothills.  With their inaugural wine release in 2007, the Skinner family have now restored a legacy that is a much a part of the family history as it is of the history of gold-rush California.      

WINES

Skinner Vineyards and Winery is committed to producing exceptional wines that reflect the unique spirit of the Sierra Foothills, using the same Rhône varietals that were grown by our family more than 150 years ago. Our red Rhône varietals include Syrah, Grenache, Mourvédre, Petite Syrah, Carignane and Counoise and Petite Bouchette while the white Rhône varietals are comprised of Viognier, Roussanne, Marsanne, Grenache Blanc and Picpoul Blanc. At less than 2,500 cases currently produced per year, our wines are handcrafted and artfully vinted by veteran and well respected winemaker, Chris Pittenger.

VINEYARDS 

The Skinner family's two estate vineyards are located within a short drive from the original 1861 Skinner Winery. The largest vineyard is in the Fair Play appellation, which boasts the highest average elevation of any AVA in California.  At 2,300 to 2,740 feet, Stoney Creek Vineyard includes 20 acres planted and is the site of our ridge top winery and tasting room.  With its view of the majestic foothill and Sierra landscape, crowned by the often snow-capped  Pyramid Peak, the site offers a stunning venue to enjoy Skinner wines.. In the El Dorado appellation, White Oaks Flat Vineyard sits at 1,400 feet and includes 13 acres planted. At both sites, the warm days and cool nights, along with high altitudes, combine to create natural acidity and highly-concentrated, complex wines.

NEW TASTING ROOM

Skinner Vineyards and Winery encourages you to visit the most breath-taking tasting room in all of the Sierra Foothills. 

Sitting atop our vineyards at 2,500 feet, you can take in 360 degree vistas of the Foothills and unimpeded views across the Sierra all the way to Pyramid Peak in Tahoe. Our 3,000 square feet of patio space provides ample seating allowing you to enjoy the cooling effect of waterfalls in the summer or warmth of fireplaces in the winter.  With furnishings and design that evoke our heritage tracing back to 1861, including a recreation of the stone cellar from the original winery, our tasting room is truly a special place to enjoy our wines.

"My Fruit not Ready to be Picked" - El Dorado Harvest Report from C.G. Di Arie, Mount Aukum

Chaim Gur-Arieh,  Ph.D., winemaker and proprietor of C.G. Di Arie Vineyard and Winery in the Mount Aukum part of El Dorado County, Sierra Foothills region of California, sends these interesting notes:

As of October 10, 2011, our harvesting for 2011 is delayed.  I see my neighbors in the valley picking their vineyards and feel envious.   Are their fruits riper than mine?  All I know my fruit is not ready to be picked.  The skins are leathery and astringent, the flesh gelatinous, the seeds not completely brown and the flavors not intense enough for my taste. 

Therefore I decided not to rush into harvesting before it rained last Wednesday.   By not harvesting, at least the Zinfandel and Primitivo, I was taking a calculated risk that I might lose the crop to bunch rot.  Bunch rot is caused by a fungus called Botrytis Cinerea.  Zinfandel and Primitivo that have large tight clusters and thin skins are most susceptible to get bunch rot after a rain.  During the rain, water penetrates into the clusters and stays there without getting a chance to evaporate.  The cooler temperature causes the thin skins to blister and the water around them provides the ideal conditions for this fungus to grow, flourish and destroy the grapes.  

To protect my crop, before the rains came I sent my crew to remove the leaves and branches that were shading the “afternoon sun” side of my Zinfandel and Primitivo vineyard blocks.  This opened up the canopy so that when the wind and sunshine returned to the vineyard the clusters had a chance to dry out.  After the rain I sent my two tractors towing two large sprayers that were blowing air directly onto the clusters of the Zinfandel and Primitivo to ensure that they were completely dry.

On the morning of October 10, I went back to inspect my vineyards and was very happy to see that we were able to avoid this disaster.  Unfortunately, I cannot be so joyous since the rain is back again in full force.  Tomorrow when the sun shines again we will repeat blowing off the moisture with the help of the sprayers and hopefully this will be the last time it rains before harvest.

This report will not be complete without telling you my evaluation of each variety that I did last week before the rains started:

Barbera:  Brix – 24.5; pH – 3.1.   The flavors are developing magnificently and it seems like this vineyard which is on its 5^th leaf will deliver a star wine.  I am expecting to get 4 tons from this block this year.  Last year we only had 1 ton.  I am waiting for the pH to raise to 3.3-3.4 and hope that this will happen the week of October 17.

Cabernet Franc:  Brix: 22.6, pH: 3.39; fairly large crop, flavors developing  very well – bell pepper flavor is almost not evident.  Considering that Cabernet Franc was one of the last to change color, it made very rapid progress.  I predict harvest to be around October 20.

Cabernet Sauvignon:  The star of this year’s harvest; Brix – 23.5; pH – 3.2; relatively large crop with at least one cluster per shoot – which is excellent for a vineyard that is on its 5^th leaf.  The fruit is ripening very graciously with no evidence of bell pepper flavors.   This vintage will deserve using these grapes for a standalone Cabernet Sauvignon varietal wine.  Harvest week of October 17.

Petite Sirah:  This block has a bumper crop.  I did not take any samples to run through the lab since the grapes are lagging behind in ripeness.  I will revisit this block the end of this week.  Harvest may be in November.

Primitivo:  Brix – 20.4, pH – 3.33; more shot berries than the Zin; thin crop and irregular ripening.  Harvest estimated week of October 24.

Syrah:  Brix – 22.0, pH – 3.25; very good crop, flavors are coming up, berries are softening and seeds are getting completely brown – an indication of ripeness.  Might be the first variety to be harvested the week of October 17

Zinfandel:   Brix: 19.5, pH 3.20; good crop with some shot berries damaged from the frost, irregular ripeness – some with intense flavors and others lacking flavor.  Needs two weeks of warm weather with harvest the week of October 24.

Tempranillo:  Brix – 21.5; pH – 3.65.  These grapes have the highest pH while being the most astringent.  I expect a lower yield than last year and hope that the astringency will mellow before harvest which I expect it to be the week of October 24.

Touriga:  Brix – 19.8; pH – 3.34.  The flavors are developing well, we just need some warm weather to raise the sugar levels up.  The vines are carrying a nice crop and if the weather will cooperate I hope we can harvest this block the week of October 24.

As I am writing this newsletter, the last chapter of “Harvest 2011” has not been told yet.  As the saying goes “being a winemaker is not for the faint hearted and making good wine is not by accident”.  Cheers! "

More about C. G. Di Arie Vineyard & Winery, from their blog

Founded:            2001

Owners:             Chaim Gur-Arieh, Winemaker
                          Elisheva Gur-Arieh, Brand Manager

The Vineyard and Terrior:
A 209 acre estate of rolling hills, well drained, moderately deep soil. Surface soil
consist of  decomposed granite and coarse sandy loam.  47 acres are planted to
vines, at altitude of 1,700 ft. on hillside, using sustainable farming practices.
Varieties planted include:  Grenache, Touriga Nacional, Tempranillo, Cabernet Franc, Petite Sirah, Cabernet Sauvignon,  Syrah (3 clones), Barbera, Primitivo, Zinfandel.

The Winery:12,000sq.ft. cutting edge facility, on a hillside with spectacular views of the nearby vineyards and the Sierra Foothills. Using the natural terrain, the winery was constructed on 2 plateaus, with “gravity -feed” design as part of the winemaking process. The facility features 2 art galleries and built to enable the winery to maximize production up to 13,000 /cs. a year.

Winemaking Philosophy:Chaim believes in a winemaking process that maximizes the potential of the grapes: harvesting when the fruit is completely ripe, hand sorting and handling the grapes gently at winery to avoid maceration of the skins and breaking of the seeds and using the oak barrels for flavor enhancement and not as a focus.

The Technology:Chaim invented (patent pending) the “Dual Compartment Submerged Cap Fermentation Tank”  that keeps the cap  submerged during the entire fermentation process, thus creating fully extracted and concentrated wines with robust fruit, soft tannins, elegance, balance and complexity.

From their website:  VINEYARD & VITICULTURE

 With 40 acres already planted and plans to cultivate 20 more over the next five years, the Gur-Ariehs have crafted a promising vineyard that is already producing great fruit.

Planted at an elevation of 1,700 feet with Zinfandel, Syrah, Petite Sirah, Primitivo, Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc; one of the main goals of the vineyard is to develop consistency of fruit from vine to vine. With subtle variations from red, granitic rocky loam, to sandy loam, the soil at C. G. Di Arie is ideal, offering good root penetration to the vines.

Rootstocks have been selected for their ability to withstand disease, and paired with Zinfandel clones from Howell Mountain, as well as Syrah clones from France and Australia. C.G. Di Arie’s vineyard crew is under clear instruction to limit yields by dropping a large amount of fruit to concentrate flavors in the remaining grapes. Green and out-of-sequence clusters are dropped in an attempt to remove the harsh flavor of green tannins derived from the seeds and skins of immature grapes. When necessary, the vineyard is harvested multiple times to ensure consistent quality and maturity.

At the beginning of each growing season, Chaim and Elisheva sit down with their growers to discuss which viticultural practices will work best. Chaim and Elisheva have set a two-acre vineyard block aside from “The Original Grandpère Vineyard” in the Shenandoah Valley. Established over 140 years ago, this vineyard is the oldest living Zinfandel vineyard in America and has produced numerous award-winning wines. “The Original Grandpère Vineyard” is used primarily for C.G. Di Arie’s Southern Exposure Zinfandel.

 Founded on a commitment to the finest viticultural practices, C.G. Di Arie is prepared to take the next step in its evolution. Having created an original and engaging palette of flavors from its estate and partner vineyards, C.G. Di Arie is poised to make world-class Zinfandel and Syrah in the Sierra Foothills.

Crystal Basin (Camino/El Dorado County) Harvest Report- "A Decidedly Odd Growing Season"

Mike Owen, Founder of Crystal Basin Cellars in Camino, El Dorado County (Sierra Foothills), sends this report:

After a decidedly odd growing season that started late and appears to be showing signs of ending early, Crystal Basin brought in its Barbera grapes on Sunday, October 2,  from the Valley Oaks vineyard in Lotus owned by winery partners Jack and Diane Wohler.  This small vineyard is set to come in at 26.5 brix and will again provide the big, structured, high-acid foothill Barbera grapes that Crystal Basin's winemaker Peter Zimmerman loves to craft into intense red wines.  

Jack was quoted as saying " this harvest is coming just in time, the grapes stabilized at 24 brix and held, but they gained a couple of extra points in last week's heat and they are going to be perfect.  We will be bringing in a normal-sized crop this year and then we can go back to enjoying the stuff."

Crystal Basin's other grape sources are set to weather this coming week's expected rain.   Crystal Basin uses a number of higher-elevation vineyards that typically ripen later the in growing season. 

"It's kind of  a crap shoot this year to figure out what percentage of the planned harvest we'll actually see", noted Mike Owen, Founder of Crystal Basin.   


About Crystal Basin, from its website (http://www.crystalbasin.com/):

Crystal Basin Cellars has its roots in amateur cooperative winemaking. Beginning under the house in 1981, CBC created a long string of vintages that captured fun times with friends. Steadily growing from 3 barrels to 25, CBC outgrew its space and was formed as a commercial winemaking operation in 2000. Since then, we've made more than 10,000 cases of wine that have been eagerly devoured by our fans and ourselves. We've been awarded a pack of Gold, Silver and Bronze medals since 2001. In fact, each of our vintages has won at least one Gold Medal at a major wine competition in California.

Our goal, to make wines from the heart, is driven by a passion to craft the highest quality wines possible from El Dorado County grapes.

At Crystal Basin, we are not grape growers but are blessed to have strong community connections to source great local grapes. We've been buying our fruit from the same super-premium vineyards for over 15 years.

One of the key strengths of Crystal Basin Cellars is our Team. We've worked together for a long time and we're all part-timers. We somehow always pull it together and look pretty good doing it.

Lava Cap (Placerville/El Dorado County) Reports Harvest is "latest start ever, in 26 years"

Tom Jones, Winemaker and one of the owners of Lava Cap Winery in Placerville, El Dorado County, and wife Beth Jones, Marketing & Sales, note that this harvest is the "latest start ever, in 26 years"...

Tom Jones judges grapes'
readiness for harvest

We are hand picking our Sauvignon Blanc today- it is now at 24 brix, 3 tons/acre and we should have 15 tons coming in on September 29- all estate produced (Tom’s brother Charlie is vineyard mastermind!)


Next, may be the Chardonnay ... but nothing until next week at earliest or maybe some early estate Zinfandel from our sunny slope vineyard.


Ideally the rain will stay north of us and we will have a warm Fall!

We have picked and crushed in early November before but it appears that our harvest 2011 may break that record as well! One upside… all of our bottling which we do on our line is completed this year before crush begins- That is a very good feeling!



About Lava Cap (from their website)

Family tradition is hands-on
at Lava Cap

"Lava Cap Winery began in 1981 when the Jones Family purchased an old 64-acre pear farm in the Sierra Foothills just east of the gold discovery town of Placerville, CA. It was the culmination of a year-long state-wide search for premium vineyard land by David and Jeanne Jones. David Jones, a professional geologist at USGS and later University of California, Berkeley, knew the critical role that soil plays with premium wines. They found that the old farm met their requirements: volcanic soil of modest depth, gentle sloping terrain affording numerous microclimates, a high elevation providing moderate temperatures for even ripening, and an abundance of super quality mountain sourced water. The residual “lava cap” topography had eroded from the volcanic activity in the Sierra Nevada millions of years ago. The old pear farm showed the potential of tremendous terroir and superb wine grapes, and thus was reborn into a vibrant, new enterprise.

Lava Cap Winery has always been a family affair. Family members include sons Tom and Charlie, and their wives. The family started clearing and planting the vineyard in 1981 with Zinfandel, Cabernet Sauvignon, Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc. Charlie took the reins of vineyard management and pursued additional vineyard development with plantings of Petite Sirah, Barbera, Syrah, Merlot and Cabernet Franc. Tom completed the business from grape growers to vintners by earning a Masters degree in Enology & Viticulture, University of California, Davis in 1989.



Over the years, Tom has worked hard to forge the Lava Cap style of elegant, textured-driven wines. Today, his winemaking style creates the consistent quality and concentrated flavors recognized far and wide by Lava Cap wine lovers everywhere. Charlie has developed over 90 acres of vineyard using sustainable practices for Lava Cap’s elegant estate wines. Almost three decades later, the old farm has indeed proven the wonderful terrior that was hinted at many years ago. "

Baiocchi Wines (FairPlay/Eldorado County) - Harvest Report

Greg Baiocchi, owner and winemaker at Baiocchi Wines, sends his harvest report for his vineyards in Fair Play, El Dorado county:

HARVEST REPORT

"After the coolest spring and summer we have experienced since planting our 12 acre estate vineyard in FairPlay, I am excited about the potential wines of 2011. The vineyard, now in its 6^th leaf, looks tremendous as I walk through it taking samples this September.

Last September we started harvest on the 15^th and we were a little behind from a cool season then.  This year I am sampling fruit the 15^th of September, looking at harvest starting in our Upper Syrah blocks at the end of the month.

The fruit is exceptional this year, phenolic profiles are much riper at lower sugars than last year. Some of this could be age of the vines but more due to growing conditions this year. We did not have to drop as much fruit this year, 20% of our yield. Smaller berries, lighter clusters, the vineyard is telling me I can make some really concentrated, complex wines from the 2011 fruit.

I am tasting much riper flavors and nuttiness in the seeds at 20 Brix, still waiting for skins to soften a bit and the fruit to achieve total balance. I am very excited about harvesting some Syrah below 25 Brix something I was not able to do in our first two vintages.

Tempranillo should be next, in the first week of October. Grenache I would anticipate harvesting Mid October into November this year. From start to finish that would be two weeks later than last year as well. I believe the Mourvedre will be end of October/beginning of November as well, hopefully.

Mother Nature will have everything to do with our hang time. Looking for consistent heat and for Autumn to stay on the warm side in October with cool nights keeping our acids and sugars in balance, we have the potential for a truly great vintage that will enable great wines with complexity and balance."

About Baiocchi Wines, from his website:
"Situated among the rocky, granitic hillsides of the Sierra Nevada foothills, Baiocchi Wines is a family-run vineyard producing high quality, small lot wines from our estate-grown grapes. Our twelve acres of fruit, fed by a warm, dry growing season and cool evening breezes, are quite literally the foundation of the fruit of our labors: elegant wines crafted in the Southern Rhone and Rioja traditions."