We are quickly approaching the end of September and Harvest is no doubt in full swing. We asked for a few of our members’ thoughts regarding Harvest 2015 and somehow between frenzied tasks in the vineyard and winery they graciously replied.
Ben Mayo, Winemaker & General Manager, Rotta Winery
This harvest it seems to be very site-specific when it comes to berry maturity. We have had some warm west side Merlot come in very early as well as some Cabernet Sauvignon from the same vineyard. At our home vineyard, Cabernet and Cabernet Franc are slowly maturing, while our east side Merlot is taking its time as well. Crop size is low and flavors are intense. As always, an interesting harvest.
Mindy Record Martinez, Director of Vineyard Operations, Record Family Wines
The 2015 vintage is looking fantastic. Yields are up on our estate vineyard, which is not the story across the Paso Robleswine growing region. We are very happy with the quality of the fruit that has been harvested so far, small berries with great depth of flavor. Our first Cabernet Sauvignon was brought in September 8th and our final blocks will be harvested September 22nd.
Gary Eberle, Owner, Eberle Winery
We have just finished picking our estate vineyard on Wednesday September 16th. Earlier than I can ever remember picking that vineyard. I think the main reason for the early picking is the very short crop. We got less than one and a half ton per acre that we usually get pretty close to two and a half tons from. However, the quality looks very good at this point. Small berries and intense flavors and color. We were very concerned about the potential for poor quality early in the year, and combined with a short crop it looked like a possible disaster year, but now we are very optimistic about a very high-quality vintage, albeit a small one.
