Harvest Part 2

I have not written a blog about each day as promised I know, but it is for good reason. I have been spending every waking hour assuring great wine for all of you to consume in the next couple of years.

It has been an interesting harvest so far. We have battled tropical storms, hot humid weather another weeks worth of rain and a broken press. Doesn't winemaking sound fun? Well....even with all that it still is a lot of fun. Jon our new assistant winemaker and myself have slugged through the fruit from this less then ideal vintage and sorted out our fruit to select only the top bunches to make it into our Tarara wines.

So far we have harvested our Pinot Gris (which is actually done fermenting and sitting comfortably in older barrels maturing and waiting for the best time to get it ready for bottle for you), Chardonnay (going into barrel today to start it's fermentation), Viognier (currently sitting in barrels fermenting away) and our Pinot Noir, Chambourcin, Vidal and Seyval which were all sold as fruit to some of our neighbor wineries looking to buy some of Tarara's great fruit. We also have some Touriga Nacional, Sauvignon Blanc, and a touch of Merlot that we have brought in to help complement our portfolio this year. It has been an absolute pleasure to deal with a couple of new varieties like Sauvignon Blanc (planned for Charval which is getting a face lift this year and becoming a beautiful vinifera blend. Meaning as of 2008 Tarara is no longer using any hybrid grape varieties) and Touriga Nacional (used for D-9 and a new wine that was created in 2007, which you will have to keep posted on - due for release on November 1st).

We have also been doing a lot of trials this year for something new and exciting. Most of our estate grown fruit is being fermented on Native yeasts. We do also have commercial yeast on hand in case the ferment does not start the way Jon and I like, but so far so good. With the Pinot Gris in a comparison trial we found the native yeast coming in off the grapes showed more floral notes and slightly more balance fruit characters then the two commercial yeast we tried along side them. All together the Pinot Gris is looking to be leaner then our 2007 with a much more powerful backbone of acidity which will help it pair well with more delicate foods and hot sunshine in 2009. The biggest downfall is due to our rigorous sorting to only select the best fruit and harvesting only when the time is right we will have even more limited quantities of Pinot Gris (down 58%) and Viognier (down 62%) this year. What does that mean? If you act fast and get it before it is sold out in 2009 (being bottled probably the week of April 6th) you will have some of the top Pinot Gris and Viognier 2008 can offer.

As far as the press breaking down, it was actually somewhat of a blessing. For one whole day it put Jon and I to a screaming halt, which meant I was able to re-introduce myself to my wife Jen who hadn't seen me in days.

Well, I have to go now. We are out in the vineyard trying to beat the rain and harvesting our Pond Block Merlot. So far it looks great and all the wines should be exciting and delicious for all of you in the coming months and years, even if there are a few hiccups along the way. Hey!!! that is what makes winemaking and harvest so intriguing and fun. Working with mother nature and your surroundings to make the best wine possible knowing that no two wines or grapes or days will ever be the same. What a job. I hope to write to all of you again soon. Until then please enjoy a bottle of Tarara wine for us and celebrate another year of grapes.