“Today is your day! Your mountain is waiting. So... get on your way.” ~ Dr. Seuss

The rancho wine grapes look the best they have ever looked and the chemical tests bear that out.  Additionally, they taste the way they should and the seeds are brown and crunchy, so are the stems.
 
What are you waiting for, one might ask?   Ducks are being placed in their rows -- and you know how well ducks work in rows.  We believe our yields will be exceptional this year and therefore need additional bins, and will drive north to pick those up on Tuesday.  In the meantime, the vintner/chemist (and we use those terms very loosely), will run one last set of numbers to see how the harvest will be scheduled.  The balance of Tuesday will be spent cleaning and sanitizing the barrel room floors, the crusher-destemmer, the bins, all of our buckets, all of our picking tools, so we're ready to go at sunrise on Wednesday, September 4th.
 
We don't know our sequence yet or if it will be concurrent or consecutive for the three varietals.  We are resolved, however, to wait:  Wait for the grapes to achieve the ripeness and maturity level we targeted early in the year; wait for fermentation to end completely; wait for the gross lees to settle out and rack the wine into barrels and to get MLF going.  In short, we are not going to rush things that have had to be rushed in past years due to circumstances beyond our control, such as family illnesses or business demands or demands from others' schedules.   We intend to be patient, get our calculations correct, and take the time necessary to get things right.  We intend to make the most out of the truly exceptional grapes we have been blessed with in 2013. 
 
So while we wholeheartedly embrace the wisdom above from our favorite philosopher, we will amend it just a bit.  September through November are our months!  Our mountain is waiting, so we're getting on our way.  Check back soon for harvest updates!
 
Cheers!
 
The Hopeful Grower & Vintner

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