September 25, 2002
At Arrowood Vineyards & Winery, Richard Arrowood describes the pace as a footrace to find available tank space for all the fruit coming into the winery from all over Sonoma County this week.
Warm temperatures have been the order of the day for the past two weeks without the normal early morning fog conditions that help slow the pace of harvest. With Brix levels remaining high, the majority of grape varieties are ripening at the same time and growers are picking accordingly. Arrowood is extremely pleased with the quality of all varieties and likens the year to the 1994 harvest.
The weather during the 1994 growing season was similar to the 2002 season - long periods of cool weather with episodes of short heat spikes. The 1994 vintage produced extremely plush wines - full, fat red wines with very concentrated flavours and rich, deep color.
Arrowood notes that the winery is about half way through harvest having crushed a little over 300 tons to date. Richard observed, "We're crushing about 25-50 tons a day now and pressing as quickly as the fermentations go dry. At this rate, I expect to complete harvest around October 15th." He anticipates the total tonnage for the season to be down slightly as many growers severely thinned crops this year. Thinning is a technique used by luxury wine producers to increase concentration and intensify flavours and color in wines.
After beginning the harvest on September 4th, Arrowood had nearly completed crushing all Chardonnay for the season by September 20th. Richard sources Chardonnay from the Russian River Valley (Preston Ranch, Alary Ranch) and Sonoma-Los Carneros (Alta Vista Ranch). "Great quality - sugars were a little high, but everything's in balance - pH, acid, flavours are all excellent."
Cabernet Sauvignon and Syrah will be the order of the day for the next two weeks. Fruit from Sonoma Valley (Schaefer - Sonoma Valley Hillside Vineyards, Wildwood and Smothers Remick-Ridge Vineyard), Dry Creek (Valhal Vineyards) are expected through the end of this week.
Next week (September 30th), Arrowood will complete harvesting of Cabernet Sauvignon from Alexander Valley (Belle Terre Vineyards). The winery also sources Merlot from the Peterson Ranch in Alexander Valley. "The aromatics and color we're seeing this year are unbelievable - intense, black fruit, extremely concentrated flavours in the juice.
I'm predicting a blockbuster year for Cabernet's - it's a fabulous year for big, bold California Cabs." As of September 25th, Arrowood had crushed over 50% of the total 300 tons of Sonoma County Cabernet Sauvignon expected for this vintage.
Arrowood believes the initial Syrah brought in earlier this month from Schaefer - Sonoma Valley vineyards is indicative of the overall quality he expects for this vintage. This week a small amount of Syrah is in from Russian River Valley (Saralee's Vineyard) and Dry Creek Valley (Kuljian Vineyards). Richard states, "This is the most intense Syrah I've ever seen from Sonoma Valley and the Syrah from Russian River Valley is rich and extremely ripe."
Merlot, Malbec and Petite Verdot are also beginning to come into the winery and the excellent quality of the vintage is reflected in these red grapes as well. Viognier and Gewurztraminer from Saralee's Vineyard in Russian River Valley are being crushed in small amounts, with the balance expected in the next few weeks.
Richard is especially proud of the fruit he's harvesting from the Arrowood Estate Vineyards surrounding the winery in Glen Ellen this year. "I believe this is the best fruit we've ever seen from the estate - all of the varieties are producing great quality."
Arrowood Estate Vineyard produces Syrah, Cabernet Franc, Malbec, Merlot, Petite Verdot and Viognier. Planted in 1986, the Merlot, Petite Verdot and Cabernet Franc have the oldest vine age. Arrowood attributes much of the success of the estate vineyard to well-known Sonoma County vineyard manager Phil Coturri. Recognized for his superb viticultural knowledge and commitment to the land, Coturri uses only sustainable farming methods at Arrowood Estate Vineyards.
quicksearch
