Late Summer Update
Late Summer, 2010,
Friends and Family,
Veraison is complete. Veraison is the change of color and texture of the berries from green and hard to purple and soft. It is the end of the growth cycle and the beginning of the ripening process. (See The Oxford Companion To Wine, Jancis Robinson, 3rd edition, Oxford University Press. It is the best reference book available and can be found on Amazon, used books, for about $30-$35. Worth every penny!).
We finished our pruning by dropping the unevenly ripened fruit and have winnowed about half our Zinfandel and about one third of the Syrah and Cabernet Sauvignon. Our Zin plants produced enough fruit to weigh in at 10-15 pounds per plant. We have culled to produce about eight pounds and will harvest about five pounds. Just the very perfect and concentrated fruit. The Syrah and Cab were on track to produce between 6-8 pounds per plant. We will pick about four pounds per plant…just the best of the best.
Brix (ratio of sugar to water in the berries) and pH (acidity. we aim for 3.2-3.6) are changing every day, but, s-l-o-w-l-y. We expect to harvest the Syrah first, in about two weeks, Cab in three weeks and Zin in early and mid October. 
Our last to harvest will be a limited production (25 cases, and only in extraordinary years) Zinfandel, Block 1, Rows 1, 2 & 3.
These vines have been tended differently. We exposed the fruit of rows 1, 2 & 3 to more direct sunlight in their early development and then shaded them with a second growth canopy. We pruned the berries and bunches which were “burned” or over ripened. We gave the plants more water in the spring and early summer and have been cutting back since mid June. We will not water these rows from now on. All these efforts are to encourage early ripening and then a slow build up to a high Brix count 28-30%. We will then put this wine on a heavily toasted, Hungarian, half oak barrel. (Toasting is the process of applying heat to the insides of a barrel. The heat chemically alters the composition of the staves reducing tannins. Lesser tannins produce a “rounder,” smoother, finish to the wine.) Our goal is to produce a big, fruit-forward wine, much like Helen Turley’s Zins produced in Paso from 1995-2005 and Chris Pisani’s early (pre 2000) Zins for ZD.
A late October harvest risks rain. Zin berries are very tightly clustered and will not dry out easily when rain water seeps in between them. They rot. This work of farming requires a delicate balance and a little bit of luck. Keep your fingers crossed.
A surprising number of you have asked to be part of the harvest. I’ll try and give you a two day notice. All hands will be appreciated. But be forewarned, I am a tough taskmaster…no long stems, no leaves and no dirt!!! Just perfect clusters.
More to follow regarding harvest, fermentation and racking.
Saluté La Famiglia,
— Joseph and Anita
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