We're at Bloom: Weather and Vineyard Update

Received this report a couple of days ago from our Vineyard Manager:

Bloom is just around the corner. Even though bud break was about 5-7 days later than average, we're seeing hints bloom is about to occur. Technically, bloom is when 50% of a cluster has the calyptras dropped so you can see the stamen. The number of clusters showing this condition on a vine is a factor growers take into consideration before they declare that bloom is taking place in a vineyard block. The current heat spell will certainly speed things up. The 600 degree day mark is another indicator that bloom is surfacing. The impact of temperature can not be overlooked because the time necessary to complete bloom is directly influenced by temperature. Typically, faster bloom periods result in better fruit set.

The series of recent rain storms offered mixed blessings. While the storms certainly helped replenish the upper soil profile, the flip side is that we have seen weed pressure and the threat of powdery mildew.

Overall, shoot growth looks good. I'm still seeing quite a bit of yellowish color in areas where Chardonnay & Syrah grow. However, I suspect those soils will warm up and dry out a bit more and the leaves will color up.

Very soon, the first set of movable wires on vertical shoot positioned vineyards will get moved upward to catch the young growth. Timing this right can be tricky. If you wait too long, the tendrils begin grabbing the adjacent shoots and the canopy becomes tangled. But, if you act too soon, you don't get enough shoots above the wires. Nothing is as simple as it seems. Then again, if high-end growing was simple, vineyard managers could find themselves on a list of endangered species.

In reading this report there are a few conclusions I can make. Overall, the rain is very good news as things were looking so dry earlier. At the 600 degree days mark we are between 1/3 and 1/4 of the way there, as we typically wind up with about 2100-2400 degree days for the year. And there is more hands on care that goes into high end wine grape growing than people could ever imagine. While the growers in the Central Valley and other places may do industrialized farming, our Napa, Sonoma Coast and Santa Lucia Highlands vineyards are much smaller and more carefully tended (by hand).

Looks at this point that things are shaping up to be a good year!