2006 Harvest Report
2006 was one of the wettest growing seasons in recent memory in eastern Washington. The vines responded to the extra spring rainfall by putting on a larger leaf canopy than usual, which in turn slowed ripening of the fruit and resulted in a late harvest season. We began picking Sauvignon Blanc on August 31st, bringing in fruit with ripe, tropical flavors from Alder Ridge Vineyard on the Columbia River near the Oregon border and from Smith Vineyard near Benton City, both of which are warmer sites.
As usual, picking in early September occurred during very warm weather. Such conditions cause grapes to ripen quickly, meaning we have a very small window of opportunity to harvest the grapes at ideal ripeness. By mid-month, a ten-day period of cloudy, damp weather slowed ripening to a standstill, allowing flavors to develop without the rapid accumulation of sugar. This especially benefited Merlot, which is always better when it can hang on the vine a week beyond the point we’re initially inclined to pick it.
By early October, it was near freezing in the early morning hours and we still had a significant amount of fruit to pick. Everywhere, wind machines were churning, staving off frost. The machines, which look and sound like airplane propeller engines, suck warmer air down from above the thin layer of cold air that pools around and threatens the grapevines.
As luck would have it, October was lovely, with cool, sunny days punctuated by an occasional, quick-moving weather front. Days of harvesting – Gewürztraminer followed by Pinot Gris followed by Chardonnay followed by Cabernet Sauvignon – sped past, with our Riesling vines turning yellow, a sure sign the time was ripe for maximizing that variety’s tantalizing honeysuckle aromas, ripe citrus flavors and crisp acidity.
By the end of October, we still had our Semillon grapes on the vine, hoping for a major freeze that would enable us to make our rarest wine: Semillon Ice Wine. There’s never any certainty of being able to make ice wine – it’s a risky proposition – but the rewards far outweigh the risks. To make it, we need cold weather that freezes the grapes below 19°F. Picked and pressed frozen, the rock-hard grapes yield a tiny amount of highly concentrated juice that we barrel-ferment to produce a rich, naturally sweet dessert wine.
Fortunately, a cold Canadian air mass slipped across the Pacific Northwest on the night of October 30th. By 1:30 am on the morning of Halloween day, temperatures had plummeted to 14°F, freezing the grapes into icy pebbles, a pattern repeated the following night. This ‘Witches Freeze’, the third in the past five years, enabled us to produce another great Semillon Ice Wine.
In terms of overall quality, 2006 produced soft, rich white wines and elegant reds. An especially lovely vintage for Syrah, it also yielded Cabernet Sauvignons with wonderfully minty-berry flavors and some stunning Merlots.