Late Season in The Valley

Sterling Winery and Three Palms Vineyard

After the late Fall flurry -- the fruit is in, the crush done -- peace descends on the Napa Valley.  For about two weeks the sweet musty smell of grape-becoming-wine is everywhere.  Then things change.  The night lights guiding the pickers are gone.  The port-a-potties in the vineyards are gone.  The flatbed trucks flying down the Silverado Trail are gone.  The rhythm returns.

Celebrate the end of the season.  Take a deep breath and think about the approaching winter rains and the next season.  Mother Nature celebrates.  The vines are going to sleep and, together with the

Clos Pegase

hardwoods, first they celebrate with a riot of color. California has a two-season climate. We are not renowned for Fall color-- but you don't  have to go to Vermont for a great show. 

Growers are fertilizing (manure), planting cover crop, installing erosion control, doing basic maintenance.  

Barn north of Calistoga

And taking in the color.  

Summer vacations don't happen here.  In summer you manage your vineyard.  A lot of Napans "leave Dodge" after Thanksgiving.  Hawaii and Cabo are popular destinations.  There's not much going on here in winter.  It rains like hell with temps in the 40's and an occasional frost.

It's a great time to visit.  The restaurants will welcome you.  A lot of the wineries will make private appointments.  If it's raining find a cozy spot and build a fire.  Take a walk -- the rain and the mists are magical.
 
Don't forget the Fall.  It explodes with color.  Each year -- each 'vintage' -- is different. 

Peach Orchard at Deer Park and Silverado Trail

When it's time...it's time.

Bad weather is rolling in tomorrow, so we picked ahead of the cold and the rain.  Last night we had 50 mph winds over the hilltops.  Broken tree limbs all over the place.  No fires, though-- a real concern at this time of year.  Of course everybody in the valley saw the same weather forecast, so today was frenetic. Our vineyard manager runs crews all over the valley. Many started at daybreak yesterday and shut down around 9:00 PM.  They started up again at 2:00 in the morning (with lights of course) and will probably go to sunset.   Tomorrow will be wet and quiet.

While the pick is on, the vineyard is full of chatter.  Spanish from the pickers while the winemakers talk about brix and anthrocyanins.  The pace is rapid-- a crew will do a few acres-- and several tons-- in an hour.  In the Napa Valley, it's still largely hand work.  Drop the cluster, fill the bin, dump it in the box-- these guys work hard. 

The fall colors, the smells, the noise, it's all in the rhythm of the vineyard.  From the vineyard the fruit goes to the winery.  It's weighed, goes through the crusher-destemmer, and then just soaks-- to extract the best of the color and flavors.  After a few -- or several-- days, the winemaker innoculates the juice with his chosen yeast, and fermentation begins.  Our 2011 crop surpasses expectations-- our yield was up about 20% from 2010.  This is remarkable given the very strange growing season.  Our fruit looks really good.  We look forward to enjoying the wine.