Crush Underway

This vintage threw me a few curves, primarily the powdery mildew pressure was very high this year, so my source for spray free grapes fell through.

Also I realized that bird netting needs to be part of the plan. This will give me the time to choose when to pick but also keep the fruit undamaged by birds, whose beaks can tear into clusters causing spoilage and microbes to get the upper hand before we have the chance in the winery.

Luckily I still am getting plenty of winemaking experience through my work assisting with winemaking at an established winery in Ridgefield.

Merlot is in tank, just racked off the gross lees. Syrah is fermenting, getting daily pump-overs to combat Syrah's tendency to generate hydrogen sulfide during fermentation.

Looking forward to creating Foch Rosé again this year. We are letting the grapes hang and hang until well into October to get past the Foch tendency towards herbal green character.