Veraison (or when the grapes turn red) is here!!!  It actually happened on July 5th this year.  I only count when I see a red grape on a full cluster.  Last year it was on July 8th.  So when is harvest?  Well…in general, it is normally 6 weeks after you get to 50% veraison, or in our case around the time the grapes hit 24.5 brix/taste good/brown seeds.  We are 3 days behind for growing degree days from last year, but 3 days ahead for veraison, but have at least 30% more fruit…so my guess is September 15th.

Now for the tonnage…We had a total of 2.6 tons last year.  It was split approximately 1.75 tons pommard and 0.85 tons 667.  I’m guessing that the pommard is 25% more than 2013 and the 667 is twice what it was last year.  So…2.19 tons of pommard and 1.7 tons of 667 for a total of 3.89 tons of Pinot noir.  We are going to keep around a ton this year to make ourselves and sell the rest to Horse and Plow Winery.

Follow along in September to see how my guesses hold up.