Chardonnay & Pinot Noir Have Arrived!

Myles' Cellar Update 9/9/2025:

With the last week of August providing warm days and cool nights, our Estate Chardonnay came into just the right amount of ripeness the first week of September, arriving in beautiful condition with a lovely showing of aromatic precursors for the finished wine and as quickly as we began, we finished harvesting our Chardonnay, last week!

Our Chardonnay plantings on the Estate are split into many smaller blocks, which enables us to pick each Chardonnay block separately. By picking each block separately, we can target the optimal level of ripeness for each section and keep them as separate as possible through fermentation and aging, so that we can continue to learn how our vineyard grows Chardonnay and the many differences between all of the blocks. In addition to the learning process along the way, keeping the Chardonnays separate gives us the maximum number of blending options when we begin assemblage of the final wines. 
 
Our Pinot Noir pick also started the first week of September! First up, we brought in four tons of Dijon Clone 667 and 777 from the Flanerie Vineyard in the Ribbon Ridge AVA that will become its own blend. We also picked two of the quickest to ripen Pinot Noir blocks from the Estate and have captured an exciting moment of ripeness where they are showing impressive intensity and liveliness at the same time. After several spells of warm and dry weather through August into early September, we finally got a rain event and a cool down, so we did not harvest any Pinot Noir last week. The vines took this as a chance to pause, catch their breath, and then carry on with ripening their fruit. This week, we picked the majority of our Estate's Pinot Noir fruit, with the final pick scheduled for this coming Monday, the 22nd.
 
Throughout harvest so far, the team has found a fun and sometimes goofy cohesiveness. I have noticed wonderful camaraderie and a willingness to lend a hand whenever is necessary. As much as harvest is about the fruit and making wine, the people who make the wine are incredibly important. Having a lively crew who is having fun with the process makes it better for us all and makes better wine!

Cheers!
Myles