The Story of a Vintage

The 2022 harvest is a story of patience. The growing season began uneasily, with a fluke 80-year frost stunting the primary buds of our vines in both Dundee and Carlton. Across the valley, yields were questioned, and worst-case scenarios were traded amongst wineries. Slowly but surely, warmer temperatures landed, and we saw first-hand the resilient nature of our land.

The anticipation for harvest was tangible, with the first signs of véraison beginning in August. We harvested Rosé from our Iron Filbert Vineyard on September 21st, about a month later than our usual inaugural pick. Chardonnay was close behind on September 26th. As the slow trickle of fruit made its way into the winery, we saw slower Brix gain, lower overall sugars, and more gradual phenolic ripeness across the board. Yields were lower than in 2021, but the quality of fruit was high.

With the ripening window pushed to a cooler part of the season, the threat of rain and disease pressure was ever present in our haste as we picked each site. We wrapped up the fruit harvest on October 28th, a day before the rains set in. In the winery, our fermentations started spontaneously with native yeasts. An average of 25 days in tanks, with one long extraction per day, gave us deep colors and rich fruit concentration.

The last of our draining and pressing days are around the corner, with most of 2022 vintage now sitting in barrels. We expect it to be an incredibly well-balanced, elegant vintage and one for the books. We can’t wait to share the wines with you.

Cheers!

Jared, Brandon, and Erica