Archive for September, 2011

2000 Pinot Gris Tasting

Friday, September 16th, 2011

We had the opportunity to open a bottle of the WillaKenzie Estate Pinot Gris from 2000 the other day when our colleagues from Texas were visiting (from Lasco, The Black Door, The Tasting Room, & Max’s).  We gathered the comments and impressions from the group to share with you all.   Our takeaway was that the ’00 Pinot Gris has held up very well over the years showing youthful acidity and bright fruit accompanied by a more mellow, rounded mouth-feel, offering unexpected depth and interest.  A very pleasing experience that speaks to the balance and good structure of the winemaking.  If you find yourself opening bottles of WillaKenzie and would like to share your impressions feel free to post on our facebook page, or twitter (@willakenziewine).

 

Cheers!

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Vineyard Update- Sept 13, 2011

Wednesday, September 14th, 2011

We are just about 40 days from harvest and the vineyard crew is working like crazy.  Between now and mid-October the crew will be working on many tasks, one of the major ones being clipping off the ‘wings’ of the grape clusters.  Wings are small clusters that sprout from the same stem as the main (larger) cluster, almost as an afterthought.  These wing clusters will never develop fully as the vine cannot sustain both small and large.  Instead, we help our vines by trimming off the wings and enabling the main clusters to enjoy all the water and nutrients possible.  This hands-on work will help the clusters become richer and more mature by the end of the season, contributing to the concentration of our wines.

 

At this time, most of the vines are past 50% veraison (color change), with the exception of the older blocks of Pinot Noir planted in 1992 and 1993.  These older blocks will mature slowly and gracefully, adding dimension and depth to our grape harvest.

 

The weather has been painfully cool this past spring and even early summer.  We experienced a wonderful heat-spell last week, much needed by the vines.  Alas, we are back to cooler weather including a light sprinkle of rain and dew in the mornings, creating concern about powdery mildew.  Check back, or create a blog feed, to hear about how this harvest season turns out.

 

Cheers!

Posted in In the Vineyard | Comments Off