Wow! What an incredible harvest! Crush began the day after Labor Day, about the "normal" time of year for us, but was over last Saturday, barely four weeks later. This was perhaps the shortest harvest for us, but looks to be one of the best years so far of the new millennium. Harvest yields were down by 38% but the quality of the fruit we did receive was absolutely superb. In 2007 we harvested just over 400 tons of grapes and this year we only harvested 250 tons.
The high quality was reflected across all grape varietals, but a few did stand out as being exceptional: Aglianico, Barbera, Petite Sirah, Primitivo and Tempranillo. Look for the Barbera and Primitivo to be available in about a year, but don't expect to see the others anytime soon as they are all destined for our Reserve program, which requires a minimum of two years aging before release.
For those of you who enjoy our Reserve program wines, don't fret: we still have a healthy line-up in the tasting room. Prime among them is my personal favorite: 2004 Milagro. The Milagro is a Rioja-style blend made according to the rules of the Rioja wine region of Spain for making a "Reserva" wine, which include: a minimum of three combined years of barrel and bottle aging before release and the utilization of the permitted Rioja varietals, in particular Tempranillo and Graciano.
Also, for those who have enjoyed our Reserve or Vineyard Select Barbera in the past, we will be releasing a 2006 reserve Barbera sometime this winter. The '06 Reserve was bottled in August and is still relaxing away the stress of bottling. Once I taste it and decide that it is fully "relaxed" we'll be releasing it with a grand release party. Stay tuned for details!