Thursday, September 30, 2010Posted by Bobat 12:06 pmin blog0 comments
Amber Ridge valley fruit (115 clone) is between 25 and 26 and needs to come off that vine ASAP! Going to do a light crush on a ton and a half up in Napa this afternoon, then put the must into a five-day cold soak. Hoping to do a field mix of 1/3 667 and 2/3 115 but will make that call on the spot. The Devoto pick I’m putting on Tuesday 10/5, will be in the vineyard Friday taking brix and pH measurements, am expecting an average between 23-24. It’s been warm up there though cooling a bit of late on Gold Ridge.
Monday, September 20, 2010Posted by Bobat 4:02 pmin blog0 comments
Was in the vineyard Friday morning, a cooler, overcast day in Sebastopol. Did most comprehensive brix survey to date this year (via refractometer, at left) and was pleased to see much more even readings than last year, though visually the ripening isn’t as even as I might like. The average brix was 21.7, up a couple degrees from two weeks ago. Am hoping for a few more weeks of hang time; Stan and I are tentatively putting harvest at October 5th! Here’s a shot of the bird netting over the vines. Working great. Big worry now is rain, we had some Saturday night and we’re now weighing our spraying options (against mildew) vs harvest…
Tuesday, September 14, 2010Posted by Bobat 4:26 pmin blog0 comments
in m Finally posting field data for Devoto Gardens from my trip on 9/3! While San Francisco has been shrouded in fog (here’s the Golden Gate on my return trip about noon, it was even worse in the morning!), the hills of Sebastopol have been basking in beautiful 80 degree days in September. In general it had been a cold, slow-ripening summer until a heat spike (multiple mid-90’s days) in the last days of August. Stan has been on the ball with natural fungicides throughout the cool summer as well as more aggressive leaf pruning. He irrigated for the first time for six hours just prior to the heat spike too, managing to avoid serious sunburn/shrivel; the fruit is in much better shape than his neighbors. Brix was at 19, ripening has been a tad uneven (some hens and chicks, though not unexpected for these younger vines) though the flavors were auspicious. Here is an example of the green fruit dropped the week of 9/3. Here’s a shot of the netting Stan bought, which went up last week to keep the birds at bay this year! Am currently putting my pick date on October 6, a few weeks later than […]
Friday, August 20, 2010Posted by Bobat 11:11 amin blog0 comments
Here we are between Dacalier Wine Company and JAQK Cellars. Well, I’m behind the camera, so the space there with our signature candelabra and logo, 07 and 08 in decanters, is where we were. Very nice event in beautiful Union Square, met a lot of very engaging folks!
Tuesday, August 10, 2010Posted by Bobat 4:36 pmin blog0 comments
Come join us in Union Square in beautiful downtown San Francisco for SF Chef’s 2010! There is an entire week of culinary fun and exploration going on; we’ll be pouring our 2007 and 2008 at the Grand Tasting from 12pm to 6pm on Sunday August 15th. Why not come check us out?