Author Archives: Doug Williams

2012 Turtle Vines Pinot Analysis

What you see is our 2013 Sauvignon Blanc just after we have leafed it on Aug 2, 2013. I hope you can tell from the picture that we can see through all 4 of the rows. In order to remove some of the grassiness you need to remove most of the leaves. Should be a great crop this year!

But the real news…I took our 2012 Pinot Noir in for analysis to see what the alcohol content was and if I’m sulfuring correctly.

13% alcohol – 0.565 conversion from our 23% sugar content at harvest, about typical.
pH 3.88 – Very high, so just need a little extra sulfur
VA(volatile acidity) 0.65% – the lower the better, but below 0.7 is OK. You can taste the bad stuff above 0.6%
Molecular sulfur 0.42 mg/l – this should be 0.5 mg/l, so I have to add some this next week. This is what keeps the wine from spoiling.
Free sulfur 50 mg/l – this should be 60-70 mg/l to reach 0.5 mg/l molecular sulfur.
TA(titratable acidity) 5.5 g/l – perfect…this is acid content and between 5-7 is great.

All in all, I’m happy with the results and it tastes very good. In fact, I’ll probably serve it at my nephew’s wedding in a month straight out of the barrel!

Veraison color vs sugar content

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As some of you may have heard Sonoma Valley is ahead of schedule this year for version and probably harvest by 1-3 weeks. Here at Turtle Vines I think we are 1 week ahead of last year given all the clouds/fog the last 2 weeks.

We are about 85% into version with some vines still having green grapes. I decided to test the sugar content of the grapes at different colors to understand how it correlates.

Green grape – 8%
Orange grape – 11%
Purple grape – 15%

Dark grape on the same vine where all the grapes have turned is 16.5%.

The rule of thumb is that the grapes shift by 1% per week in “normal” weather. If most of the grapes in the vineyard are around 16.5% and I want to pick at 24%, then I’m 7.5 weeks away, or 9/23…same as last year.

Clone 23?

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I have a few dozen loose cluster Pinot Noir vines in the vineyard (out of 3100). I always wondered what they were. In fact the viticulturist from DeLoach was over last week and he confirmed they were Pinot but didn’t know which clone. So…in researching I could only find one loose cluster Pinot that was available from the nursery where I purchased all the vines…and that is Clone 23, otherwise known as Mariafeld.

I found this description of the vine. “Clone 23 is interesting in that the cluster and berry sizes are much larger than most Pinot clones. It always provides dark colors, very bright, fruity flavors with high acidity.” In addition, due to the loose clusters it is resistant to botrytis and if needed will allow you to let the fruit hang longer on the vine.

So, I think the mystery is solved and it seems to be a very nice addition to the Pommard and 667 Clones at Turtle Vines!

For comparison, below is a normal Pommard Clone. Notice how tightly spaced the cluster is relative to the Mariafeld clone above.

Row Orientation – It was worth it!!!

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For the first time I really saw the benefit of our 42 degree from N/S row orientation. The end of June/beginning of July it was very hot here in Sebastopol, >90 degrees for a week. Very unusual for this early in the summer and it set records in several of the cities around us.

A lot of my friends with vineyards experienced sunburned grapes but we didn’t. Why…around 1pm when the sun is directly overhead, our grapes are positioned so the sun shines down the row and not across. (the above picture shows shade at 11am) So very little sun is shining directly on the grapes. My friends rows are N/S so they get sun on the grapes when it is the strongest…and they get sunburned.

I guess that extra 25% cost was worth it!

PS Later in the year if the temperature of the grapes gets above 95-100 degrees, the enzymes start to “cook” and you will lose flavor. Another reason for the row orientation. Let’s hope we get a very warm but not hot rest of the summer.

Veraison 2013!

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Just walked outside and noticed we have started veraison, where the pinot grapes turn from green to a very dark purple. This means the countdown to put up the nets and harvest has started!!!

Everything this year is ahead of last year and veraison is no different. Last year it was July 21st and this year it is July 8th, so I’m expecting harvest somewhere between the 10th and 15th of September.

What do I have to do between now and harvest?
– Continue to spray for botrytis and powdery mildew until the nets go up
– Final pass on shoot positioning, leafing and drop fruit
– Design net tool and test
– Put up the nets around Aug 1st
– FIND Winery to buy grapes!!!
– Harvest

CCOF Certified !!!

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I just received my CCOF Certification! Only 3% of the grape growers in Sonoma County are certified organic, so I’m joining an elite group. In addition, Turtle Vines is probably one of the southern most vineyards in the Russian River Valley, which makes it much more difficult due to our propensity of fog.

In short, what did it take:
– Growing organically for 3 years
– Keeping accurate records of the fertilizers and sprays used
– Filling out a 30 page application
– Getting audited
– Paying $900 in first year fees and about $400 thereafter
– Registering with the California Department of Food and Agriculture

Would I do it again…for sure. Healthier for me, the soil and the grapes.
Has it been a challenge…yes. Probably sprayed twice as often at a much higher cost per spray, and your options if things go wrong are much smaller
What did I learn…You have to plan more in advance and perform more research on how to solve issues. I think this is good farming and better for my brain.

Lastly, for all of my high tech friends…was this as tough as ISO 9000/14000? I don’t think the paperwork or audits to be Certified Organic are difficult, but you have to live being organic every day.

1-2 Inches of Rain in June? Botrytis Alert

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Botrytis is a fungus that infects grape shoots, flowers, leaves and fruit. If your vineyard gets this fungus, think of a moldy melon, yuck! Why am I worried now? The spread of the fungus sportes is aided by summer rains, heavy dew and juice from split berries. The popular song…”it never rains in California”… is normally correct for Sonoma County. However, a rare storm is heading our way and will drop 1″-2″ of rain on the vineyard. Now I have to worry about Botrytis.

What can be done to prevent Botrytis?
– Have grapes that are not tightly packed. Sauvignon Blanc (see pictures) has a loose cluster but Pinot Noir (see picture) is a tight cluster grape, bad.
– Remove excess shoots and leaf around the cluster to get good air flow – done!
– Organically spray with Stylet Oil, Serenade Max or Sulfur right after it rains. I will do this Friday. Hope it is not to late.

Well the good news is that I needed the rain…the bad news is I may get botrytis in addition to driving potassium into the berries since we are between set and veraison. Lastly, if you look at the Sauvignon Blanc pictures…we will have a great crop this year!!!

Pinot Cluster

Sauvignon Blanc Vines

Sauvignon Blanc Cluster

Bottle Shock – I didn’t know it was real until now!

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Above is a classic scene in the movie “Bottle Shock”. Little did I know that I would experience bottle shock at an inopportune moment this last week. First…what is bottle shock.

Apparently around a week after bottling and lasting one to three months, the wine undergoes a reversible transformation. “The wine tastes disjointed, unpleasant, and unfinished when in a state of bottle shock, but it doesn’t taste awful/undrinkable. The phrase most typically used to describe wine currently in bottle shock is “muted.” In the forefront are the tannins and the acid, with the fruit hiding somewhere deep in the background. Even more often, the wine throws off odd, reductive aromas.”

Normally when I visit my wine every month to check the sulfur level and taste, I take a few 1/2 bottle samples. We drink them within the week and although young, it tastes great. Well, this time I was having a knowledgable person in the wine industry taste my wine. This 1/2 bottle had been stored for 3 weeks. It normally takes about 1/2 hour to open up but in this case the wine tasted very acidic and flat with no fruit flavors. I could not understand it. Then I remembered “Bottle Shock”, although I had never experienced it until now. The real confirmation will come the next time I take a sample and bring it home…

So, when Turtle Vines Pinot is released, I will include instructions on how and when to open the bottle, as you can also get “Travel Shock”, just like “Bottle Shock”.

When is Harvest?

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This is one of the nicer looking vines right now in the vineyard. Below I put a close-up of the bunches. You can see in the picture the berries have swelled and the bunch has almost closed up. Very exciting! What does this mean for harvest and how can we predict it?

In 2012 we harvested on September 23rd at a bris (sugar content) of 22.8. This year I would like to be at 23.5 to give an alcohol content of a little under 14% but add more flavor. – add 5 days
– For 2013 our bud break and bloom were 3 weeks early – I don’t have enough information on our vines to tell.
– Our Growing Degree Days are a week ahead of last year – subtract 7 days
– We have 4 times the grapes, but also more than 4 times the foliage as 2012 – subtract 7 days
– We had a dry spring, only 25″ of rain this season vs 45″ last year

So…our new estimate is September 14!!!

What are Growing Degree Days and why do I care?

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Above is a picture of the closest part of the vineyard to the house. This year the vine canopy is at least 80% filled in this area…next year it will be completely full. The 667 which is away from the house is about 40% full. It is amazing to me when I look back at pictures from 2010 to now and see the difference.

What are Growing Degree Days (GDD)?

It is a measure of the amount of warmth needed to grow plants and if you know what your area is rated for you can determine what to plant and specifically what kind of grapes are suitable for your area.

Easy math…GDD = (high temperature plus low temperature)/2 minus 50. An example…here in Sebastopol the normal for this time of year is 80 for a high, 45 for a low. So…((80+45)/2) – 50 = 12.5 You then add those up for each day during the growing season and you get a calculation for your area. So for our area when you add the days between April 1 and November 1 you get 2350. Here is how we compare to other areas.

Williamette Valley = 2150 (Pinot contender)
Burgundy France = 2400 (home of great Pinot)
Sonoma = 2350 (we think the best Pinot in the United States)
Napa = 3280 (good for Cabernet)
St. Helena = 2900 (good for Cabernet)
Olympia, WA = 1595 (good for Geoduck clams but on the borderline low for Pinot, perhaps a colder varietal)
Phoenix, AZ – >7500 (good for cactus)
So if you want to grow grapes, find out your average GDD and then see which grape will grow in that climate.

Lastly…how are we doing this year on GDD’s vs the last few years from April 1 to June 15th…or year to date?
2010 564 (very late harvest)
2011 505 (very late harvest)
2012 713 (normal harvest, great grapes)
2013 787 (looks to be an early harvest)