Friday, August 28, 2020

Epona Vineyard Grape Update - 2020:

 1. I told my Cab Sauv/Cab Franc grower in Yakima that I can't buy this year. Ditto the Syrah grower in Dallesport. Partly due to Covid risk and partly because my (Double Gold) wines from there just aren't selling fast enough. My market is too small for me to run at max production every year. Hoping to get into some local restaurants, but none of them are buying now.

2. It's an off year for apples thank goodness (my trees are heavily biennial); I've learned that my mix of heritage cider apples makes a great apple wine if I age it 3 years, so I'm going that route this year with my apples. If I do it right, you won't be able to tell it's not a good, dry white table wine.

3. My grapes are a bit further along than I expected:

Newer Leon vines: 19.3 Brix average, with a mix of light brown and dark brown seeds. Skin runoff color isn't there yet. Flavor is nowhere close yet. Very optimistic that these will fully ripen this year, and I haven't dropped much of it! Have also learned to never make the red wine style, if the grapes don't have a long, warm summer. If GDD are low, or if grapes don't hit 24B with great flavor, or if it rains before harvest, then 100% of it needs to go to rose (where it performs great). My 2018 Estate Red (Leon) had a too-low Brix of 20.7, and pH was 3.1 (also too low for red wine); I chalked it (Pot Carb) and got the chemistry perfect, but the wine aged to brownish red and I don't like the flavor and I'm having to pour it all out. Lesson learned.  But my 2017 Leon Red was fabulous; much hotter summer and better harvest numbers.

Older Leon vines: Averaging 19.4B. Coming along great.

Mindon: 18.7B; tart; yellow seeds; great skin color.

Jupiter: 16.5B (but it only goes to 19 or 20 tops); flavors getting there.

Monas Muscat: 13.0; ridiculously tart; and low set this year (rainy Spring)

LaBelle: Tiny berries--incredibly small. But I forgot they're tenteurier! Avg is already 20.8B and juice tasting good. This one is so early--maybe earlier than G'bok. Glad I planted more!

Delic: 13.0; tart; great skin color. Needs a long, hot summer. Probably not right for here unless we get a near-record year. And my Labelle can supplant my love of Deli's tenteurier juice.

Zero bird predation so far. Blackberries are fabulous and feeding the birds well. 

Long-range forecast  Looking great. Sunny thru at least Sept 17, with no rain. That gives enough time (probably) to get all my varieties harvested fully ripe.  With this great late heat,  I'll send half my Leon to red wine and half to rose, if the Brix and flavors warrant it, otherwise all to Rose. But I bet the Estate Red will be made, and will be quite good, this year. Smoke in the skies is starting to appear in the forecast, from OR and CA fires, but it should be minor here, this year.


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