Harvest 2023, Part 1

Pinot Noir was the first in, and now a month later we are still getting grapes!

Pressed for Thought:Transitions 

It is harvest, and I am enjoying my time in Napa while I make the 2023 Tipsy Rose line up. The smells of fall are not entirely dissimilar to those in New England, it smells of change and things are beginning to decompose. It is just much drier and chalkier. The leaves on the trees and the vines are starting to change color to vibrant yellows, burnt orange, and dusty reds, but the grapes aren’t quite done yet. They are taking their time, which has always been an indicator of good quality and complex flavors. That said, it is still early to say for sure, and there are some concerns about the levels of all the complex components that need to be in balance to make good wine—sugar, acids, ph, and phenolics.

A long rainy spring followed by fewer sunny, high temperature days in Napa has led to an unpredictable harvest. Many say that the quality will be quite good, others are not ready to commit to any value judgements just yet.  That said, the grapes that I am seeing are healthy and clean and very evenly ripened. Those are all good indicators, so I am excited.

The grapes are showing soft, full fruit flavors and aromatics, some pleasing astringent flavors in the seeds and skins, and gentle, lignified stems, as you would expect when they have had so much time to hang on the vine. While the freshness is on the palate, the total acids are a little lower, again due to longer hang times, and Ph is higher, which can give the wine a lovely mouth feel, provided it doesn’t get too high, resulting in flabby or jammy characteristics. I aim at balance, which I suppose all wine makers would say, but what does that mean? 

I want a wine that has medium to intense flavor with an elegant, complex, and fresh delivery or style. That means that there is sufficient acidity to brighten up the ripeness of the fruit. It also needs some structure. Metaphorically, it is a lot like any structure which needs something that holds up all the beauty and architectural design, otherwise it will collapse upon itself at the first wind. The same is true for wine. Delicious, perfectly ripe fruit exhibits a freshness (acid) along with a delightful, soothing ripeness (fruity, not “sweet”), but all that flavor needs structure (tannins, alcohol, body) to hold together. It happens naturally, but a good wine maker must be attendant along the way to ensure that this happens at the right time and in the right measure. We can make natural corrections, and only intervene with modern techniques when necessary. It is all so fascinating to me! 

Grapes are still yet to be picked, some are fermenting, and others headed to the press. I am eager to see the result, but I must be patient, which is not in my DNA. So far, I am tasting the wine daily as it progresses, and I like what I am tasting. Admittedly, early, it is just grape juice. What’s not to like about that? Sweet and syrupy and zippy, but I prefer the fermented version. We will all have to wait a bit before we will taste that, but I am feeling confident that the wines will taste great.

Stay tuned for more updates from harvest!

Cheers, Maria