2005 Harvest Report
2005 was one of the longest harvests in Eastern Washington in many years. It kicked off on August 31st with Sauvignon Blanc grapes from Smith Vineyard in Benton City. We picked between 22 and 23 degrees Brix to get flavors on the cusp between gooseberry/citrus zest and tropical fruit/pineapple. The grapes had plenty of acidity so the wine would be crisp in addition to aromatic and flavorful.
In early September, Chardonnay from our warmer sites – both ends of the Yakima Valley and Sagemoor Vineyards near Pasco – began arriving at the winery. It’s important to pick Chardonnay with full, ripe flavors, but also with adequate acidity to accommodate partial malolactic fermentation. During the hot days of early September, the grapes ripen quickly, so we visit our Chardonnay sites frequently to ensure the grapes are picked at the right time.
By mid-September, summer’s residual heat began dissipating, and we eagerly anticipated our first red grapes – Merlot from the warm Alderdale region along the Columbia River near the Oregon border. The rule of thumb for picking Merlot is to wait until you can’t wait any more, then pick a week after that. We made ourselves wait until it hurt and were rewarded with dark, smooth, voluptuous wines. Our Merlots from Alder Ridge, Smith and Red Willow vineyards are especially good, proving 2005 was a great Merlot year.
By late September, grapes were clamoring to be picked, and the trickle of fruit coming into the winery turned into a flood. Happily, cool dry weather intervened to slow down ripening, and we were able to bring all varieties into the winery on schedule. Gewürztraminer and Pinot Gris were harvested the first week of October, then mid-season reds – Malbec and Syrah – appeared to occupy a great deal of tank space (fermenting reds use more tank space due to their skins). Fortunately, Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc grapes are well-adapted to hanging on the vine late into fall, so we let them hang a long time waiting for perfect flavors – and free tank space!
On October 15th, we received a large amount of Riesling. Over one-third of our production is now Riesling, and it all comes in at the end of the season. In 2005, perhaps due to the long, cool ripening season, it ripened several days later than usual. The risk of frost increased daily as the days grew shorter, and everyone in the cellar felt the urgency a runner feels starting the final lap in a race. We received our last grapes on November 3rd, but it wasn’t until shortly before Christmas that all fermentations were complete and we finally switched out of harvest mode.
There was one last wine to attend to, however. We always leave some Semillon grapes on the vine past harvest in hopes of making that rarest of sweet wines – ice wine. To do so, the grapes have to freeze on the vine and be picked and pressed frozen. In eastern Washington, this requires a Canadian arctic air mass and temperatures of 19°F or below. During the wee hours of December 7th, temperatures dropped to 16°F under clear skies, and by 9 a.m. we had successfully picked 27 tons of frozen Semillon, enough for 3,500 cases of Reserve Semillon Ice Wine. It was a terrific way to end a phenomenal harvest!