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It's Time to Harvest
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Four words that stir up excitement, a bit of panic and dreams. After a year of thoughtful, tender, yet aggressive, vineyard management, the time came on October 22 and 24 to pick,sort and begin the artful process of making wine!
Last December we considered our goals for the year ahead and devised a master plan. Our vision was to ensure a succulent 2011 vintage of our 100% Estate Grown Cabernet Sauvignon Wines. These goals included uniform vine canopy and crop loading, proper water management to achieve optimum ripeness and a balanced yield, and, dear to our hearts, was the caring of our new three acres of young vines to create a quality and quantity contribution to our estate wine program.
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Looks good on paper and easy to say. The attentiveness to detail and hard work in the field, though, is stunning. Each vine within the 13 acres of Rosati Family Vineyard was regularly monitored. We wanted that no weak vines remained, that all fruit received the correct level of sun every day and no fruit received excessive exposure. The soil was assessed and amended as required. Competitive growths were weeded out. The shoots per vine were adjusted to obtain target-length shoots of about four feet that would be able to carry the fruit to full maturity. This step of ensuring sufficient ripening capacity gives the fruit more uniformity of character and chemistry. The resulting wine has a tighter focus of character, intense and concentrated.
And, then the rains came and came and washed away parts of the vineyard. In May we had to rebuild roads and stave off further damage. The summer was mild creating angst that the season would be too cool and delay our harvest well into the late fall. But, then the summer heat dominated and the water supply at Russian Cove Ranch, particularly at the vineyard, began to wane and over stress the vines (and the owners!) Oh, yes and then early rains appeared. Given that our vineyard was planted at above 1,000 feet, we enjoy good sun exposure and afternoon breezes, this premature rain was a blessing.
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Throughout the year, we kept careful track of the phenology. On June 17 the vines showed 5% flowering. On June 19-50%. And, on June 21- 95% flowering. By August 18 the vines began veraison of approximately 5%. On August 22-50% and,finally, 95% on August 25. At this point, we did veraison thinning throwing off the late-to-color clusters to further achieve uniformity. From early September to October 21 we received almost daily lab results until an average of 23 degrees Brix was attained throughout the vineyard.
The early morning of Saturday, October 22, was misty, but by 7:30, when harvest began, the canopy and the grapes were dry. The day itself was warm and clear with brilliant blue sky. Sorting began at 1:00 and lasted until 6:00. It was hardly sorting; the grapes were plump, juicy and definitely ready for picking. On the second day of harvest, Monday, October 24, the climate was nearly identical. Harvest started a bit later at 8:00 AM-as did the sorting. Again, we had minimal loss and more harvestable fruit than in the past.
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We have now prevailed. A gorgeous 13 tons of grapes have been sorted and now are moving into the next phase. For nearly 12 days the juice will be stored in tanks where it will undergo cold soak, fermentation, pressing and settling. Then for about 18 months it will be placed in the finest French cooperage. And for another 18 months or so it will rest in the bottle. By 2014, we will all be able to enjoy a glass of brilliant red Rosati 2011 vintage.
Before, we hope you will continue to savor our earlier vintages. If you find yourself in Menlo Park on November 4, come and join the Rosatis as we pour our wine at the UCLA Wine Event at the Rosewood Hotel. On November 19, you can try our newest
vintage, the 2006, at Whole Foods in Redwood City.
As always, we have included a new recipe for you. Margaret and Dan Beltramo have graciously shared a family wild bird stew recipe.
Fino a poco,
Danelle and Mario
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