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From the Vineyard: Vintage 2010

Our winemakers and vineyard managers are keeping us up-to-date on what's happening in the vineyard...

Early summer in the Vineyard.

"This summer in Napa Valley has been filled with lovely and abundant sunshine, but temperatures continue to be below average. Therefore, 2010 is still tracking about 10 days behind average. We still anticipate that Merryvale's harvest will begin with Sauvignon Blanc in the last week of August and that many Cabernet Sauvignon vineyards will ripen late in October. The yield looks to be average or slightly below average in most blocks.

"Summer continues to be a busy time in the vineyard. We are finishing our canopy management practice of leaf and lateral removal, a practice that allows dappled sunlight and airflow around the grapes. This allows for even maturation of the grapes, and is also a natural way to reduce the incidence of diseases such as mold and mildew.

"Our attention is currently shifting to yield adjustment. In most of our blocks, the grapes are in their 'lag phase,' a resting period in between the first phase of berry development (cellular division) and the second phase of berry growth (cellular expansion). During this time, the clusters weigh approximately half of their final weight, so we are busy counting and weighing clusters in each block to get an estimate of the final yield.

"Once we have the estimate, we meet in the vineyard to discuss crop thinning. The decision of how much fruit to thin depends on overall vine vigor, varietal, and site characteristics. At this time, we focus on removing clusters from weak shoots and crowded areas, and then a final adjustment will be made during veraison. With a light crop and healthy canopies in most sites, it will not take much thinning to achieve the low yields and vine balance we desire. The fine tuning we are doing now will set the stage for uniform ripening of grapes with concentrated color and flavors."

From June 23rd: "After one of the coldest and wettest months of May on record, June has brought some seasonal temps and a serious workload in the vineyards. Shoot thinning and positioning, leaf and lateral removal, vineyard nutrition programs, mowing and weed control, and integrated pest and disease management are all taking place this month. We are coming to the end of bloom in most varieties and have begun fruit set. With the spring weather and the natural elevated nitrogen levels it created in the soil, we are seeing some 'shatter' in clusters where several individual flowers did not self-pollinate. This has created loose clusters in some Chardonnay vineyards, especially in earlier sites.

"We are running about 14 days behind in phenology this season, so early harvest date projections have us beginning with Sauvignon Blanc in the last week of August and heading late in to the month of October with Cabernet Sauvignon. Vine vigor is impressive throughout the valley, and most vineyard managers don't anticipate beginning to irrigate until the month of July at the earliest. Within the next two weeks we will begin crop estimates in Chardonnay to get a more accurate picture of the potential crop for 2010.

"The biggest challenge in the vineyards for the next few weeks will be staying caught up. The timeliness of cultural practices now will be critical to managing vigor and various pathogens for the rest of the season."

From May 28th: "As we close out the month of May, the soil profile remains full of moisture and vineyard managers are gauging how much vigor and canopy work will be in store this summer. One positive thing about having the wettest spring since 2006 is that very little irrigation will be needed this season. Proper vineyard floor and cover crop management are proving especially valuable this year. Cheers!"

From April 24th: "Although it has technically been spring for over a month now, we are still continuing to see periods of significant rainfall. Fortunately, these have recently been intermittent, and lovely sunny weather has appeared between the rains. Chardonnay and Pinot noir, which experienced budbreak over one month ago, has finally grown to 6 or 12 inch tall shoots. Sauvignon Blanc, and other later varieties have all experienced budbreak and have generally grown between 2 to 5 inch shoots. Cabernet Sauvignon on the hillsides has emerged even in the latest blocks, and the season has officially begun. With this sunny weather, we expect significant growth to occur these next few weeks. However, forecasts show a possibility of rain for next week.

"Most vineyards have been mowed, and growers are just beginning to cultivate blocks destined for cultivation. Some Chardonnay blocks have been suckered. Suckering is the removal of any 'unwanted' vegetative growth such as growth along the trunk or along the cordon but not on the spur position destined to produce fruit. Suckering directs the vine's energy into the most important shoots, the shoots that are intended to ripen grapes. Growers will continue to sucker over the next several weeks, beginning with early varieties and ending with later varieties.

"Now that the vines are experiencing periods of rapid growth, the vineyard managers are experiencing periods of rapid work! The canopy management strategies implemented now will set the stage for quality for the remainder of the season. Cheers!"

From March 25th: "The weather this past week has been spectacular. Temperatures have reached into the 70's and the sun is shining! Wildflowers are blooming, and the vines are beginning to emerge from their winter dormancy.

"We have seen budbreak in Chardonnay and Pinot noir, especially in Carneros and near bodies of water such as reservoirs. The forecast is for pretty nice weather for the upcoming week, so we expect significant progress in budbreak across the earlier varieties like Chardonnay and Pinot noir, and we should see a nice uniform budbreak due to the consistently warm and sunny weather. Other later varieties have buds that are extending, and the swollen buds look like popcorn (see picture); viticulturists casually refer to this as the 'popcorn stage.'

"Vineyards with good drainage have dried out, and growers are starting to mow. Mowing early will help prevent frost damage to the succulent new vine growth. Tall cover crops can impede air movement and reduce solar radiation, and thereby increase frost risk. We mow to reduce this risk. The ground is still a little bit too wet for cultivation but that will follow shortly in cultivated sites. The next main pass in the vineyard will be suckering, the removal of any undesired growing points such as along the trunk of the vine and along the cordon at non fruiting positions. This will occur when the new shoots are anywhere from 4-12" long.

"Cheers to the bright beginning of 2010!"

From February 26th: "It has been a very wet winter! All the rain has refilled our reservoirs, and replenished the ground water. The cover crops in the vineyard have grown well. The yellow mustard is in bloom. We are currently pruning the vineyards in between the rain storms, and making farm plans for the season.

"In the cellar we have been working on blends of Sauvignon Blanc and Pinot Noir from the 2009 vintage, and are working to finalize our 2008 Cabernet Blends which will go to bottle in a few months."

From January 26th: "Now that it is January and the holidays are over, we are beginning to prune the vines in preparation for the 2010 growing season. Pruning is one of the most important practices in the vineyard to create vine balance. Vine balance is the appropriate balance between vegetation and fruit production to achieve the desired level of yield and fruit ripeness and quality including sugar accumulation, tannin, flavor, and color development. With too little vegetation, the vines may not have the capacity to ripen the fruit, and with too much vegetation, the fruit can be shaded, the vine focuses on producing more vegetation and does not focus on fruit ripening, and again the fruit can be perceived as under-ripe or dilute and green. Another main reason to prune is to localize the fruit into an area that will be easy to manipulate for sun exposure, disease control, and harvest.

"In a vine, all of the dormant buds which are located at the base of every leaf node are potential growing points for the following season. If we do not prune, all of these buds will start to grow in the spring, and since there are so many of them, they will compete with one another and not grow very vigorously. As a result, there will be lots of weak shoots and fruit everywhere. It will be hard to ripen the fruit, create uniform sun exposure, and control diseases with the fruit spread all over the place. If we prune too hard, and leave too few buds, these positions will grow so vigorously that they will continue to grow and grow, often forgetting to focus on ripening the fruit. Therefore, we prune using methods and standards that have been developed over many years in the wine industry, standards which are based on the spacing, variety, rootstock, site, and ultimately, the desired quality and yield.

"Another main winter activity at Merryvale is assessing the prior year's wines. We are very happy with the quality of the wines from our 2009 harvest. The winemaking team is now regularly tasting the individual lots, and starting to create base blends. We have begun blending Sauvignon Blanc, which will be our first 2009 wine to be released this spring. Then, we will begin to make base blends for Chardonnay, Pinot noir, and even for the Bordeaux varieties, but all of these wines will continue to age in barrel for many more months.

"Even when the vines are dormant, there is still a lot of work to do! Cheers!"

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Merryvale is in the press! Check out these great articles...

Merryvale Vineyards has been featured in many wine publications and magazines in the last few weeks, from the Quarterly Review of Wines to Touring & Tasting Magazine...

Click here to read the latest articles...

Merryvale and Starmont wines have also been receiving some great scores in both Wine Spectator and Wine Enthusiast magazines.

Click here for all the latest ratings and reviews!

The Quarterly Review of Wines Names Merryvale its Winery of the Year!

Consistently awarded a place in QRW's Best of the Best, with Silhouette Chardonnay and the flagship Bordeaux blend Profile, Merryvale is also being recognized for its sustainability efforts and dedication to quality.

Read the full article by Richard Paul Hinkle here.