Summer, Summer, Summertime!

Spring has transitioned into Summer and we are through bloom and set in all varieties in our vineyards. All the wind and rain in late Spring this year resulted in some blocks with uneven set. However, crop level is looking really good overall. We are working on moving wires up in our red varieties, as well as shoot thinning and leaf thinning. Our goal is to get those clusters exposed to the sun on the east side of the vine in the red varieties, but keep the west side shaded from the afternoon sun. For the white varieties, we want dappled sunlight throughout the canopy, with limited full sun exposure.

At this point in the 2024 season, we have accumulated 640 Growing Degree Days and are tracking slightly lower than the longtime average. Growing Degree Days are calculated from April 1 to October 31 of each year and a base temperature of 50 F is used to determine the amount of GDD during that period. Our hottest year on record, 2021, had 936 GDD by this time of the year, compared to the coolest year on record, 2011, at 404 GDD. So, 2024 is looking fairly average as far as GDD go (640). However, we experienced some really warm days early in the season, an above average amount of precipitation, and more wind than I can remember ever having (ugh). It’s been a bit of a roller coaster of a year with weather so far and the data is showing it. Looking at GDD accumulated prior to April 1, we had 27 days in 2024 compared to 17 in 2011 (cool year), 6 in 2021 (hot year) and exactly 0 in 2023. What does all this mean? 2024 has been a year of perfect growing conditions. We have had a lot of warm days mixed in with the cooler weather, plenty of precipitation, and a lot of wind to keep the pest and disease pressure down. The vines are happy and growing vigorously at the moment. However, as I write this, we have triple digit heat headed our way in a week, which means canopy growth is going to slow down dramatically. Thankfully, we have a healthy canopy established which leaves us a lot of options with leaf thinning.

We are excited to see what 2024 brings us in terms of both crop level and quality. As we get through the heat of summer, we will be sipping on some of our chilled white wines counting the days until harvest is upon us.

Cheers!

Jessica Munnell, winemaker