Schramsberg Vineyards
Hello from the Schramsberg cellar! As I write, we are nearing the tail end of our sparkling wine harvest. We began by picking Napa Carneros Pinot noir on August 18th, just a few days later than last year. Based on how things are looking, we will finish around the first week of October. This has been a cool growing season, with only a handful of days hitting the high 90s in Calistoga. Mother Nature has provided us with the ideal circumstances to grow high acid white wines, and I am not one to refuse such a gift. For science geeks out there, it is normal for us to see pH levels around 3.0 in our juice samples, but this year, 2.85-2.90 are more common occurrences. For those who prefer not to relive high school chemistry lessons, let me say that the juice is quite tart and my dentist appreciates the extra time I’ll be spending in their office.
Almost half of our tanks have finished fermenting and the other half are either just starting or are mid-way there. On a weekly basis, our team will walk around and taste through all the fermenting tanks to see how things are progressing. So far, we’ve seen some promising lots for blending and have perhaps started to single out which vineyard designates may be possible. It’s always hard to commit at this stage of the game, because not everything is in the winery yet and there’s always the chance that some other site is going to shine a little brighter than the early favorites. That said, I am very happy with where everything is settling out now.
On that note, I have some more grapes to think about and find a home for. In the meantime, pour yourselves a glass of Schramsberg and toast to the end of one harvest and beginning of another as JP and his team get started over at Davies Vineyards.
Davies Vineyards
August was a blur. Wine movements from nearly 300 – barrels, last-minute tastings to confirm our winemaking decisions, the fury of forklifts clearing the decks of tanks and barrels for space, and 3 days of bottling to get our 2023 Estate and Single Vineyard Cabernets into bottle all before the Labor Day break.
I am thankful it all happened without mishap and that those wines will bottle age for a bit before we see them again. And luckily the weather has stayed cool, easing the team into the next phase of the 2025 Vintage.
And go figure, just days before our Pinot noir picks in Sonoma, there was a little fire here in Calistoga that spooked us; a reminder that Mother Nature still holds sway over our decision making. Thank you to our many community fire fighters for saving the day.
Now with the fire threat abated and mid-September here, the temperate summer growing season has brought some beautifully balanced fruit flavors in the vineyards. The first Anderson and Sonoma Valley fruit has arrived, bringing with it bright quenching acidity and lip-smacking sweetness. If only we can temper the excitement with a little patience, in order to get it just right this year, the winemaking team will remain optimistic for a fantastic 2025 Vintage.
