Weather  
Today

Continued above normal temperatures and brilliantly clear and dry conditions. Perfect late season ripening weather. Anticipated dry and clear for the next 10 days, although a slight chance of sprinkles is included in Saturday and Monday's forecasts, just to keep us humble. Mid-eighties current highs (e.g., 85 at Stoller yesterday) slip to near-perfect mid-seventies next week.

Weather: September Summary
Total rainfall for September was 0.56 inches, compared to a 100 year average for September of 1.55 inches (Salem). Temperatures averaged slightly higher than normal, with 64.2 average mean temperatures, compared to 65 year average of 61.8F.

Today we're pressing our initial Pinot gris

Harvest  2001 October 2 , 2001

PLENTY TO DO, BUT ANXIOUS FOR THE PAYOFF WORK!

	Steven Jackson Inspects First Pinot noir

Last Friday saw the first Pinot noir in the door, with Dijon 115 from Stoller Vineyards.

Today we are pressing our initial Pinot gris, also from the warm, early Stoller Vineyards site, PG 146 clone. From this point on grapes will be rolling daily, continuing all Stoller Pinot gris this week (approximately 22 tons), adding part of the remaining Pinot noir, with clones 777 and 667 being especially close.

Ridgecrest Babies Block of Pinot noir, Not yet Ripe

All told, 52 tons of Pinot noir should come here from Stoller, some of it for a special Stoller Vineyards cuvee kickoff made here initially for Bill and Cathy. Corral Creek should also be ripe and ready by week's end, with 15 tons, almost double what we've taken ourselves in the past. Ridgecrest will provide all its fruit to us again this year, with over 60 tons of Pinot noir.

	Weekend Barbecue for the Crew, Prepared by Mark
	At the End of the Day

As is obvious by a couple photos here, as we await perfect ripening, the harvest crew bonds more closely. As fatigue and long hours inevitably build stress levels later in harvest, this is a time when social preparation is as important as barrel prep.

The formula is complete and excellent, except for the final factor: good bud break, excellent set timing and quantity, precise crop dropping, warm and eventless growing season, no appreciable disease pressure and a dry and warm ripening period. Just keep away any major rain fronts and it's looking like....oops, I almost said it....don't want to hex the vintage.

Keep tuned.