Purple Cow Vineyards

2011 Harvest Update

Thank god it's done!

And do you think we waited long enough?

This summer we have seen the coolest average temperatures in the last 75 years, added with the continual threat of rain which was determined to hinder the grapes from ripening, but we were one of the lucky ones in our typical Purple Cow style. Although we may need to use Just for Men hair dye to cover up the Grey hairs that set in waiting for the grapes to ripen.

Thanks to Jon’s painful wisdom of dropping half our fruit during the early months of the summer (which made us cry) we are excited and relieved to say that due to our Vineyard management and the long season of hang time we exceeded our expectations on the lab numbers and yields. We are looking forward to a great 2011 vintage.

- PCV Staff

Harvest - Photos

Thank you Brenda, Elena and Cheryl for taking photos of harvest this year.  To see their amazing skills check out the Photo Albums.

Harvest Update October 22 - THANK YOU!

Thank you to all the wonderful people who made it out to Purple Cow on Wednesday and Thursday. Thanks to all your hard work we have completed the 2010 Harvest and not a moment too soon as it started raining last night right after we pressed the Muscat.  Brenda one of our wine club members took some amazing photos which are up on the site.

The PCV Staff

 

Harvest Update - Oct 15th

We are reaching a dilemma. The sugars are climbing but the acids are very high. The weather seems to be holding for 1 more week.

Brix 10/2 10/6  10/14                    Bowl 18.7   20.3                     Tempranillo   18.3 19.2                     M Foch (bowl) 20.7                         Dijon60     20.2                     Muscat   18.0 18.6

Interpreting the Numbers 

The goal is to get the Pinot up to 22.5 brix.  While it is very unlikely that we'll reach that number, we hold out as long as the weather does and do our best. While the previous week's sun restored some hope, there is still a long way to go.

At this point I'm not expecting to gain sugar based upon heat but rather by drying out the grapes. The acids levels are also very high (pH ranges from 2.5-2.8) so if we picked now, we would have to adjust it in the winery in order to get any malolactic fermentation to take place. Once you see extended rain coming, expect us to pick the 2 days before it hits.

The only bad news to report is that bird pressure is at record levels and we're losing some crop despite our best efforts.Borderline going below 1 barrel on Marechal Foch.

Harvest Update - Sept 4th

In prep for this year's harvest, it's time to start educating everyone on what to expect.  It's not close enough to warrant email, but I will start sending email to the harvest list in a few weeks.

Below is the degree day graph.  It starts with July 1, and goes through Sept 30th so that explains why the 2010 line goes flat.  It's not particularly pleasant to look at.  This is showing that we are significantly cooler than most summers.  Veraison (color) is only starting to appear, and that visual indicator that we are 3 weeks late.

My best guess at this point is that picking will occur in mid-October with a lengthy season of significant bird pressure.  Going to be an exciting home stretch.  -Jon-

PS email me if you want to participate in harvest and I will add you to that email list.