December, 2003

2003 Vintage Report

Rain, rain and more rain characterized the summer up to Labor Day. Fortunately the wet weather moved East in September. An extended cold spell marked the first week of October and slowed maturities, but overall temperatures were seasonable during the harvest season. This year we managed to avoid rainfall during harvest.

We picked the white grapes during a window of opportunity the third week of September. Red grapes were picked during a three day period in mid-October. Maturities ranged from good to excellent, but yields were mediocre and irregular due to weather related fruit set problems. Acid levels were higher and sugar levels lower this year. Rot was evident in some varieties but extensive pre harvest crop selection and another exceptional job by our picking crew limited its impact on the final product. The advantages of our site were evident in that we produced some excellent wines in this crazy vintage, a vintage in which many local vineyards experienced nearly total crop loss. One wonders just how good we can be in a “vintage of the century” situation.