2012 Vintage in the Barrel and At Home

A year ago, on November 4th, we were taking pre-fermentation samples of 2011 juice up to ETS Labs in McMinnville; this year, the wine is already in barrel at home.  We had a nice, long pre-fermentation cold soak that started on October 9; a relatively short, hot fermentation that ended with pressing on the 23rd; racked the wine to barrel on the 26th; and transferred the barrels from St. Innocent to our bonded garage cellar the next day.

Each year, like most small winery winemakers I get very excited bringing in the grapes, doing punchdowns, watching over the fermentations, and pressing the wine; giving an exhausted sigh of relief when the wine is finally in the cellar, topped up, gearing up for its malo-lactic fermentation.  And, like many, I get a chuckle out of all the hype about the current vintage being the best ever, yet!

This year was no different in those respects.  Particularly when, before fermentation had even gotten a good start, the powers-that-be had already proclaimed 2012 winemakers to be "Giddy" about this year's "Epic" vintage (http://newsroom.oregonwine.org/articles/275280/giddy-oregon-winemakers-headed-for-epic-2012-vinta/).  I think it's safe to say that anyone north of highway 22, who had a Pinot fermentation far enough along on October 10th, 2012 to call it "Epic" was certainly "Giddy" - 'cuz the only thing "Epic" about those particular wines will be the acid.

However, in most respects this year was very different than others, and for some winemakers (which I hope to be one of) it may produce a great vintage.  The 2012 season began with a  long cold, wet Spring; moved on to a disastrous and extended bloom; continued with a moderate summer having virtually no rain through harvest; and ended with the most unusual and beautiful weather: clear, sunny days; with daytime temps in the mid- to upper-70s, daytime relative humidities in the teens; nighttime temps just above freezing; and did I mention, not a drop of rain - at least by the time we harvested our last grapes.

This gorgeous season-end weather, combined with very healthy vines, led to a faster increase in Brix and a slower increase in pH and flavors than "usual".  As we neared harvest, truth be told, many growers and winemakers were beginning to worry that we'd end up making high alcohol, high acid, low flavored Pinots - quite a let down from the great growing season we'd had.

Like many vintages, in Oregon at least, the quality of each winemaker's most important decision - when to pick - will determine the quality of their 2012 wines.  This year, those who psyched themselves out about the rapidly rising sugars, when acids were terribly unbalanced and flavors were nil, will have a lot of fast-talking to do when their wines are released; those who waited too long will be working on how to put satin on raisiny, high-alcohol pig's ears; some, who by shear luck of the draw as it relates to contract picker logistics and weather patterns during short picking windows, may end up making some very nice wines.

I intentionally delayed posting my final vineyard notes for the 2012 season, because I was unable to tell where the wines were going this year.

Normally, the aromas in the winery give a good indication of how things are going.  The fermentation process begins with varying amounts of Volatile Acidity  aromas, usually in the form of airplane glue.  Later, as alcohol levels begin to rise above 2-3%, the yeasts that produce these metabolites get overwhelmed by the alcohol, and the winery fills with aromas of fruit, and sometimes spice and flowers. This year, except for some tea and tobacco aromas before fermentation, and some early fermentation aromas of black pepper, none of the usual aromas were evident: there was no VA; but more noticeable, was the conspicuous absence of fruit or flower aromas.

Also of note this year were the relatively hot fermentations which proceeded at such a pace that the primary smell in the winery was hydrogen sulfide.  Even when the wines went to press,it was difficult to get beyond the meaty flavors to sense the quality of the underlying fruit.

Fortunately, good aeration at the press, extended time in the settling tanks, and leaving headspace in the barrels for a week or so after racking off the gross lees allowed the H2S to volatilize as residual CO2 came out of solution.   When I topped the barrels up on November 2, I got the first indication of the potential of the 2012 vintage.  The wines at this point have a range of deep, dense fruit flavors with an intense raspberry edge, bright acidity, and smooth long-lasting tannins.

Celeste and I invite you to taste these wines, as well as what we believe are very nice 2010s and 2011s, by appointment, whenever you plan a visit to the Eola Hills.

2012 Weather Recap

The weather this season was truly strange and remarkable.

The winter rains started well before the 2011 harvest and didn't end until the end of June, dropping over 43 inches, about 6 inches more than "normal". From that point through our last pick we had only 0.11 inches of additional rainfall.

Heating Degree Days (HDDs) were a mixed bag.  Up until the last two weeks before harvest, we had expected 2012 harvest timing to be in the second week of October, with weather conditions and cumulative HDDs to be comparable to 2008.  By the time we picked on October 9th this year, we had had 2037 cumulative Heating Degree Days (HDDs), about 85 more than 2008 and 2010, 25 more than 2011, about the same as 2006, and  80 less than 2009.

While numerically similar to the 2034 HDDs we had had in 2006, HDD accumulation in the critical final weeks of the 2012 season was dramatically different.  During 2012, we had 388 HDDs during the mid-veraison to harvest period (which, except for 2011, was the lowest accumulation of HDDs during the ripening period of any recent year); harvesting 102 days after mid-bloom.  Conversly, during 2006, we had 565 HDDs during the mid-veraison to harvest period (the highest accumulation of HDDs during the ripening period of any recent year); harvesting 95 days after mid-bloom in order to maintain acceptable levels of natural acids.

Final Pick - October 9, 2012

We finished harvest on Tuesday, October 9, bringing in Whistling Dog's 2012 crop; without a drop of rain during the entire harvest; with daytime highs in the low- to mid-70's, and night time lows in the upper-30's to low-40's - absolutely perfect ripening conditions.  Over the course of the final week of the season, sugar development slowed way down, pH's moved into the "just right" range, and flavors came on strong.  The only downsides to this year's harvest were Yields and Pickers: yields being nearly half of "normal"; and pickers being few available.

But, the quality of the grapes is outstanding.  During the week prior to harvest we hand-culled all unripe berries on the clusters destined for our winery, this, combined with absolutely zero rot and ideal grape characteristics, promises to make a beautiful Pinot vintage.

We have never had more perfect grapes on the sorting line, pulling out less than a cup of unripe/damaged berries for the 6 tons we brought in.

 

Harvest Begins - October 5, 2012

 
We picked half of the vineyard yesterday, for two customers, from portions of all the different blocks of clones.  The weather during the ripening period has been perfect; sunny, dry, and seasonably warm.  This year during the critical final 30 days of the season, sugars have developed faster than acids have moderated and flavors have lagged behind.  Over the past week, though, the acids have moderated and the flavors have come on strong as a result of sunny, windy, and dry conditions; with daytime relative humidity in the teens and low-twenties, daytime highs in the mid-70s, and overnight lows in the 40's.

Overall, it looks to be the makings of a very good vintage, albeit a small one.  As discussed earlier, this year's yields will be small, due to the effects of the poor weather during bloom.  The quality of the ripe grapes, however, is excellent.  There is absolutely no botrytis this year, due to the lack of rainfall since June and also due to the extremely low daytime humidities during the final weeks of ripening.  However, this year's extended bloom period and a multiple-day heat spike at the end of fruit set, will require diligence on the sorting lines at the wineries removing random green berries from flowers that bloomed last and partially ripened berries on heat damaged rachises.  Careful sorting should produce a great vintage, given the similarities between this year's ripening conditions and 2008's.  Overall heat accumulation during the season will be almost exactly the same as 2011, but the 3 inch difference in rainfall between the years (all in the period between fruit set and harvest), the dramatic difference in sunshine and humidity levels during the final ripening period, and the more normal timing of harvest has, at least, lowered the stress level of everyone involved in harvesting and processing the grapes this year. 

Pommard

Wadenswil

Dijon 114

Dijon 115

Season-To-Date Heating Degree Days & Rainfall

September was another warm and unusually dry month.

With 394 heating degree days, September was cooler than last year and 2009, but warmer than all other recent years.  Due to the warm August and September temperatures, with 1,973 cumulative season  heating degree days, 2012 is the third warmest season in recent years after the heat-spiked years of 2009 and 2006.

2012 will be remembered as one of the driest summers on record with only 0.11" of rain since June (0.04" since July 3).  Heavy accumulations of dormant season and early growing season rainfall, has kept the cumulative season rainfall above normal, at 43.6"

The current weather forecast shows seasonably warm and unseasonably dry conditions for at least the next two weeks, promising winemakers the unusual opportunity to choose their own perfect harvest date.

First Brix & pH Sampling

We got lucky this week and didn't have the five days of 90+ temps that were expected.  With nearly all clusters fully colored, and individual berry Brix readings in the 20's, we did our first cluster measurements today.


4 clusters per sample; 2 clusters from 2 rows, each row sampled 1/3 in from each row end.
(click on table to enlarge)

Skin tannins and flavors are not yet perceptible.

Compared to the past several years, this year's crop is ripening in a time frame that most closely resembles 2008's crop.  2012 is approximately one week ahead of 2008; the current forecast through mid-October is similar to slightly warmer than 2008. 

East Side of Rows Black, West Side 90+% Black; Good Ripening Weather Continues

Clear, warm, dry weather continues. Clusters were almost 100% darkened on the open, east sides of the rows by the end of last week.  By today, the shaded, west side is about 99% darkened at the top of the vineyard, 90-95% darkened in the middle of the vineyard, and 85-90% darkened in the lower part of the vineyard.

Sugar is perceptible, acid is starting to become tolerable, skin tannins and flavor are not yet perceptible, and seeds are beginning to take on some coloring beyond the immature green shade.  Shoots have lignified, becoming canes; and the canopy is in great shape, in spite of having had only about 0.1 inches of rain in going on 3 months.

The upcoming week is expected to have several abnormally warm days into the 90s.  The current outlook through mid-October is unusually dry, less than 0.1 inches of rain; and warmer than normal.   It's currently looking like this lower than average yield crop, will fully ripen with little or no rot risk; no flocks of birds in sight, yet.

Pomard Clone:

Wadenswil Clone:

Dijon 114 Clone:

Dijon 115 Clone:

 

3 Weeks Since First Color

Almost 3 weeks since the first signs of color and the clusters are just now becoming colored a shade of something other than green.  We are expecting clear, dry weather with above-normal temps through the end of the week, so we will probably not see any green berries after this week.  Once the clusters are purple, countdown begins for final month of ripening.

Pommard Clone:

Wadenswil Clone:

Dijon 115 Clone:

Dijon 114 Clone:

August 2012 Heating Days and Rainfall

August was the hottest month of this cool summer, although we had one day when temperatures spiked above 100, daytime temperatures for most of the month were in the upper 70s to low-80s, nightime temps in the 50s. 

August 2012 was also the hottest August we've had in recent memory with 578 Heating Degree Days (HDDs), topping August 2011 by 18 HDDs.  As a result, cumulative HHDs for the year are now 1579, 219 HDDs less than 2009, but about the same as 2005, 2007, and 2008.

Normal rainfall for August is around 0.5 inches, this year we had none.  We haven't had any measurable rainfall since July 3, making August 2012  and August 2006 the driest post-bloom periods in recent memory.  Cumulative 2012 season rainfall is 43.59 inches, due to the wet La Nina winter and spring conditions.

Long-range forecasting continue to show a shift toward El Nino conditions this winter.  The current September forecast shows temps remaining at or above seasonal highs for most of the month, with little or no rainfall expected.

First Signs of Color

One more day of hot weather and it looks like we were spared the triple digits forecasted for this week - although all week we have been in the mid to upper 90s, unseasonably warm for the Willamette Valley.  No incremental "sunburn" and the ripening process didn't get interuppted.

Color is beginning to change in all blocks, timing is similar to 2008 and 2010.

There is very little fruit to drop this year - no 3rd clusters, very few laggard wings, and no "extra" crop to thin.  For our own winery, we probably won't drop anything, one of our larger customers has requested that we drop all of the wings (we'll do more work looking for the wings than actually dropping any).  What's out there looks to be maturing at the same time.  It will be interesting, given the length and uneveness of the bloom period, to see what effect this has on veraison.  If veraison proceeds normally, I'm expecting harvest to occur around the 2nd week of October.

Between Lag and Veraison

The heat has finally arrived, and how!  Today is supposed to be the coolest day this week, at 90F.  At least it's a dry heat ;)

The grass is almost dormant and the ground is hard as concrete.

BUT, we've already had a heat spike into the triple digits, a week ago.  And an already small crop was thinned some more.

Fortunately, the damage was limited to the west (shaded) side of the rows, with virtually no damage on the east side where we pulled leaves earlier.  The damage could have been worse, but maybe Mother Nature is just toying with us...multiple days in the triple digits forecasted later this week.



On the positive side, the vines are looking great; and the fruit is pale green and translucent, with hardened seeds.  My guess is that we're about a week or so from the beginning of veraison.

Pommard Clone

Wadenswil Clone

114 Clone

115 Clone