Monte Rosso update

Well, things are rolling up at Monte Rosso. The Semillon is firmly in the sugar accumulation phase, and probably even registers a few brix right now. If the perfect weather we have been receiving for the last couple of weeks keeps up it could be rolling in by the last week of the month, if not before.

The Cabernet is well ahead of Bedrock’s due to classic mountain effect (where warm air rises and actually ripens fruit on the hillside ahead of the valley floor). Right now we are looking at about 80% veraison, compared to 40% or so at Bedrock depending on the block. What I am most pleased about though is how the fruit looks on the vine. In the picture below notice how well spread the fruit is across the canopy, how the clusters are large but are thinning to one/shoot, and generally how even everything looks. Happy and healthy fruit makes for happy and healthy winemaker!

Old Lakeville is the last of the Syrah vineyards to go through veraison but when I stopped by this morning it looked like about 20% had colored up. It is probably about the same up at Wildcat.

What does this all mean? It means that harvest is going to be coming hard and fast if the weather we are having continues (perfect, by the way, 84-87 degrees at day and 57-58 at night, perfect).