Return to Perfect Cool-climate Harvests!

	Harvest crew last weekend, forced to take a break for a "shootem at dawn."
	Wayne sensing the quality of fruit telepathically--surely a gift most of us don't have!

Harvest weather this year came as a relief to what we've seen recently, especially last year. A testament to moderating cooler temperatures--warm but not hot--and sustaining moisture for healthy plants next year, 2004 reminds us of the benefits of our region. Elegance and complexity are born of moderation, not extremes. And with spurts of rain, there is ample test of winemakers' memory, patience and pluck. There is a "chicken little" tendency with the first raindrop to think the sky is falling and that fruit needs to come in. More experience gives patience to wait for more than numbers like brix and pH, to wait for flavors, even if it means Mother Nature settles the dust for a day.

Since the 3/4 inch of rain the past weekend, mid-70s highs and perfect Fall weather have pushed the last blocks outstanding to final ripeness. The oldest blocks at Ridgecrest are being picked today and tomorrow, with ideal flavors and that saggy, partially deflated basketball-in-the-closet look to berries. Remnants of blocks at Corral Creek were picked yesterday for our melange tank, covering a range of elevations and blocks we chose not to sell, serving as a hedge at the slightly reduced cropload 2004 exhibits. After the 5 and 7 acre old blocks of Pinot noir, Riesling and Gamay noir will be picked by Friday.

	Rinda sanitizing press hardware prior to a day's red pressing.
	Pre-Dinner at the Chehalem House.

The harvest and crush period has lengthened a bit with the cooler weather, allowing full cold soaks on recent tanks of 8-10 days. One or two tanks per day are being dropped to press after draining, a 4-5 day fermentation and couple days of post-fermentation completing the full extraction of physiologically ripe fruit. Sugars are 1 to 1 1/2 brix lower than 2003, acids and pHs are not changed greatly over last year.

The harvest crew is very tight this year, all of the core group staying at the Chehalem House together. Guests who couldn't resist spending vacation or weekends working hard and long (go figure!), such as Melanie Hollingsworth, John Poston, Jim Holzgraf, John Matzinger, Andrew Holod, and my daughter Wynne, have stayed with members of the permanent crew here. All have worked like a team, whether in winery or at Lumpy's partying! They threaten to write a Harvest Page of their own.

Enjoy the beautiful weather, enjoy the rain to come.

Sorting crew for Corral Creek remnants Tuesday: Nicolas, Nelle, Rinda, Andrew.