Thursday, May 24, 2007

More from May 22, 2007 trip to Vineyards

It was very interesting traveling around this week, if for no other reason than to get some really great photos that demonstrate the difference location makes in Pinot Noir growth.





Amalie Robert Vineyard just South of Dallas, OR. This is a pretty warm site, and Block 10 (my little acre) is quite vigorous. The shoots are 12"-16" long now, and the clusters of buds are well-formed. All shoots had 2 or 3 clusters, and they were monsters. We'll certainly be doing some cluster thinning and shoulder removal after bloom here.



Momtazi Vineyard in the McMinnville AVA. This is another warm site, although Block C is right at the crest of the vineyard (cool night temps) and receives a lot of wind, which keeps the temperatures low early in the season. Here, the shoots are only 6"-10" long. You can see in the picture to the right that the clover cover crop has been tilled under in every other row. This block produces wonderfully cherry-centered Pinot Noir from Dijon Clone 115 vines.





Anderson Family Vineyard at the North tip of the Dundee Hills AVA, right above Hwy 240. The South Block is aptly named. It's South facing, sloped nicely, and warm, warm, warm. This site was the furthest ahead, with shoots 16"-20" long, essentially ready for the first set of catch wires to go up. These vines have always been dry farmed, sending the roots deep into the rocky soil over the last 14+ years.




It's interesting to see how early season growth rates correspond to harvest dates later in the season. Of the three sites, we'll generally harvest Anderson first, Momtazi second (hot days there later in the summer help it catch up), and Amalie Robert last (the Wadenswil clone is a late ripening clone). More on this later, and more info on other sites will come soon.

Wednesday, May 23, 2007

First trip out to vineyards in 2007

I took my first swing of the year through the valley yesterday. I have to say, the vineyards all look fantastic! There seem to be few issues with shoot length and inflorences this year (unlike the last couple of years). As I get some time, I'll keep updating this posting with photos from the trip. In the mean time, you can see a couple of shots at http://www.boedeckercellars.com/Cellar%20Updates.htm.