Growing Conditions

Spring came late and it was rainy, leading to a poor flowering and consequent poor set. A good thing too, that there was less fruit to ripen, since everything got off to such a late start. Despite the low yields, all the serious growers had to selectively thin their crop in order to ensure more uniform ripening. On the cusp of the rains, even on that very morning, we brought the grapes in. But if the fruit wasn’t ready, we were prepared to wait out the rains of early October and watch the true ripening continue. Fortunately, the weather cooperated—the second half of October was beautiful. After many vintages, we know our vineyards and how they ripen. We know all the things to do and when to do them—that’s what we did in 2012. Experience counts.