October 4
The weather warmed up gradually throughout the week until we had highs in the low 80's on Wednesday. Night temperatures were in the high 30’s and this caused the vines to start shutting down. Clouds moved in on Thursday and threatened to bring some light rain. We continued to see slow progress in grape maturity.
We picked our last two blocks of Cabernet Franc. These blocks are planted to clones developed in Bordeaux and we are excited to see what their unique character will contribute to the blend. We are continuing to press the Merlot tanks as they finish primary fermentation and we are monitoring the malolactic fermentations of the tanks pressed in prior weeks. There have been some long days, but our international team continues to work well together.
~Daniel Baron