Harvest 2017 Q&A with our Winemaker Coby Parker- Garcia
In general how does this year’s crop look?
2017 Vintage is looking average for most varietals. The only varietal where we see lower yields is with Pinot Noir. Rain and cool weather contributed to poor flowering within our Pinot Noir Vineyards.
Which varietal will Claiborne & Churchill be harvesting first?
Pinot Noir from Greengate Ranch & Vineyard will be picked first starting this Thursday! We will be picking two select clones of Pinot Noir, Pommard and 2A. This makes up about 8-10% of the total amount of Pinot Noir for C&C. The soils at Greengate are not as heavy as the soils in the Twin Creeks Vineyard which allows the fruit to ripen sooner.
As weather changes during the harvest season, how do you adapt?
As harvest progresses, things get crazier and more compacted with less free time. We closely monitor and watch the weather making sure we are still on track to pick at the best time for each varietal.
How do you decide when is the optimal time to pick a vineyard?
It all depends on the varietal. We typically pick Aromatic White Wines earlier at lower sugar levels. This allows us to make white wines with lower alcohol and higher acidity. For Chardonnay and Pinot Noir we pick a little ripper allowing the flavors to fully develop. Syrah and Grenache are picked last and at the highest sugar levels. Another factor in harvesting our fruit is tracking weather patterns. If the weather starts heating up, some grapes may be picked earlier before they get too ripe. If there is a cooling trend there is no need to panic and the grapes could stay longer on the vine.
Pinot Noir, Pommard Clone: Greengate Ranch & Vineyard
Pinot Noir, Clone 2A: Greengate Ranch & Vineyard
Are most grapes harvested around the same sugar levels?
No. Each varietal is treated differently. We look at the sugar levels but we also look at the pH and acid levels. It also depends on the vintage; certain vintages allow for grapes to be picked earlier where flavor profiles develop earlier and need less time to ripen. Sometimes the grapes taste better at lower sugar levels and are more balanced between the sugars and acid.
Do you typically go in and harvest from each vineyard all at once or do you do multiple picks from each vineyard?
We typically pick multiple times through a vineyard. If we are only getting a small amount of fruit then we pick it all at once. For our Estate Twin Creeks Vineyard we pick multiple times to get grapes at different ripeness levels. Harvesting a vineyard at different times allows us to get different flavor profiles that add to the complexity of the wine.
What is one of your biggest challenges during harvest and how do you manage this?
Time is a big challenge. From the actual harvest and making sure we pick at the right time, to making sure each person on our production crew is doing their part to processing the fruit into wine.
Multi-tasking is another challenge with the different grapes coming in to make the variety wines we produce. I’m constantly traveling back and forth from vineyard to vineyard and then back to the winery.
During harvest we put in long hard hours day after day. As a winemaker this is what I look forward to each year, it’s my time to shine and make the best wine possible.
Harvest has wrapped up early in the last couple of years, what are you expecting for this year?
Last year was one of the earliest harvests on record. It looks like we are two weeks behind last year which puts us closer to our average cycle. I’d say we should wrap up harvest with Grenache sometime in late October or early November.
What are you most excited for this harvest?
It is always interesting to see what the “ theme” of the vintage will be (high acid year, good color, bold flavors). After spending so much time in the vineyards, it is exciting to get my hands on the grapes and make wine. I always look forward to the smells of fermentation; this is something that never gets old, even after my 15th vintage at C&C!
