Harvest season is almost upon us at Cedar Ridge. Thankfully, each critical stage the vines go through has passed without disruption.
“I couldn’t be happier with the first half of the 2021 growing season. A mild winter, an excellent spring filled with temps in the 50s and 60s, and lasting rains followed by a hot and dry June,” said Winemaker, Kent Foulker.
“We did have a couple of overnights battling below freezing temperatures after bud break,” Foulker added. “Two nights in a row a small crew of us lit over 30 small fires around the vineyard to prevent damage to the fragile buds. We came out victorious in the end with virtually no noticeable damage.”
Rain and high winds could have damaged the grape clusters during the flowering/pollination period but mother nature gave us clear skies allowing the vines to produce an abundance of grapes.
The benefit of a hot and dry June is hidden below the surface. This forces the vines to dig deeper into the soil in search of water. The deeper the roots grow the more character it uptakes and injects into each grape creating outstanding flavor and aromas. This also anchors the vines more solidly to protect them from strong winds. The only vines that fell over after the Derecho were from a large tree falling on top of them. All the others on our property stood strong and tall.
The stage is set for an epic vintage but nothing is safe until those clusters come off the vines. Stay tuned.