Leaf Pulling This has been an extremely challenging year to date. We had a real heat wave in early July with temperatures up to 110! We have been scrambling opening ditches in the furrow irrigated fields, and running the drip systems in the rest of the vineyard in order to keep the vines happy as they prepare for verasion. Verasion is the color change that occurs in the red varietals and in some whites as well as the grapes mature. I've also been busy pulling leaves on the north side of the trellis in our cabernet so that the bunches will get some additional sunlight on the north side and more air circulation. Basically it is a simple process of literally pulling the basal leaves to expose the bunches a little. This leads to the development of more intense color and better fruit maturation for flavors. We're also monitoring for pests at this time and will need to spray this week for leaf hoppers in some fields. The "hoppers" come in generations and eat at the leaves. If you have too much damage it is hard for the vine to supply nutrients to the bunches and the fruit will have trouble developing sugars and maturing. A little damage is not a problem, and we try to use as little chemicals as we can, but once the infestation reaches a certain point, you have to spray. I'll have more information as we get closer to harvest - the best time of the year. Feel free to drop me an email if you have any questions or want more information.

pruning We are now well into our spring pruning in the vineyard. This is a critical time for controlling the crop for the coming harvest. Most of our plantings are on trellis systems which have the vine trained up a stake, then down what is called a "cordon" wire. The fruit bearing shoots will grow as "laterals" off of the cordon vine. These are ideally spaced approximately 4-5 inches apart (about the width of your hand) and growing upward. Last years shoots are cut off leaving 1 or 2 buds at the base for this years growth. Each bud will produce a new shoot that will bear 2 bunches of grapes. By limiting the number of lateral shoots and buds we are able to reduce the yield and enhance the ripening and flavors of the grapes. Less fruit means more vine resources to ripen and flavor the bunches. Fewer shoots overall helps create good air flow and dappled sunlight to create better quality fruit for harvest. There are many other factors involved in creating the highest quality grapes to create our wines, as I'll explain in future blogs.

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