Fall/Winter 2003
General Winery News:
October 28, 2003 — From left to right: Joel Robledo, Supervisor, Freestone & Quail Hill, (Sonoma County); German Corro, Vineyard Manager; Miguel Rojas, Supervisor, St. Helena Ranch; Hermann Hernandez, Supervisor, Backus Vineyard (Oakville) & Las Rocas Vyd. (Stag's Leap District).
A New Era Begins: Bulmaro Montes
By Kathie Fowler
In June of this year Bulmaro Montes, JPV's vineyard manager, retired. Bulmaro had been with the winery since its inception, helping put in the first vineyards at the Spring Valley Ranch in 1973 and bringing in many of the vineyard workers who are still here today.
With Bulmaro's retirement, viticulturists Philippe Pessereau and Greg Cannon were promoted to Director of Vineyard Operations in Napa and Sonoma Counties, respectively. Sarah Black, who had been a viticultural assistant, was promoted to Viticulturist. These three talented employees did a magnificent job managing the 2003 crush, and they will be featured in the next issue of the Spring Valley Times.
In this issue, we highlight the vineyard supervisors who have taken over the day-to-day responsibilities of vineyard management since Bulmaro's retirement. They comprise a remarkable group of men whose loyalty and hard work have contributed incalculably to Joseph Phelps Vineyards' success. They were a fun and enthusiastic group to interview and are clearly reveling in their new job responsibilities, some of which have been communicated to them by Veronica Navarro, the new Vineyard/HR Administrative Assistant who came to work in July of this year.
German Corro explains the new system that has everyone so excited:
"Veronica has taught us invoice coding, how to fill out time sheets and worker's comp and accident reports. Before, only one person handled all this."
"The workers have more responsibility," Veronica reports, "and everyone's individual talents are surfacing. They are clearly enjoying the learning curve and have a lot to offer."
Veronica reveals that there were difficulties in the beginning teaching administrative details to people not fluent in English. "There was a language barrier," Veronica explains. "If supervisors in three different vineyards were all leaf pulling on a given day, each time sheet for that day would say something different. One might say hoja, which means leaf. Another could say desahijar, meaning leaf removal. A third description might be barilla, which means removal of stunted shoots. It was very difficult to interpret the time sheets."
Veronica, with A.S. degrees in Behavioral Science, Human Services and Computer Science, created a system to standardize the daily job descriptions.
"The accounting department assigns a number to a vineyard and a job, and I taught the supervisors how to apply this information to the time sheets. At first they were confused, but when they finally understood the system, they loved it."
"It empowered everyone," German agrees. "They had never been given this much responsibility and it energized the whole crew."
German Corro, Vineyard Manager
Responsibilities: Oversees all vineyard operations and supervisers.
Came to U.S. 1967
Years with JPV: 29
Place of birth: Oaxaca, Mexico.
Biographical sketch: There is clearly no lack of talent and drive in German's family, which consists of five brothers and four sisters. Three are still in Mexico, but of the 6 who are here, Hugo Corro, JPV's Maintenance Manager, came to work in 1989 after having completed junior college in Mexico. Horacio Corro, who also worked at JPV for a while, graduated from U.C. Davis with a degree in Biology. German has two sons, Paulo Corro, a college graduate with a business degree who is a realtor in Napa; and Hermann Corro who is attending Sonoma State University studying to be a teacher.
German is clearly proud of his childrens' accomplishments as he explains that "the advantage of having lived in this country for so many years is it enabled me to provide an education for my brothers and sisters and children." He has been married to his wife Sylvia for 24 years and lives in Napa.
Biggest challenge: "Every day is a new challenge. I never know what's coming next. But I have the best support I could ever want from my supervisors. They all help make my job easier by being experienced workers and easy to talk to. I can tell them what I want and they communicate it to the workers."
Vision for the future: "To learn what I need to improve all aspects of JPV's farming practices. To be the best that I can be."
Miguel Rojas, Supervisor, St. Helena Ranch
Responsibilities: Manages a crew of 11 who tend 115 acres of assorted varietals including Cabernet Sauvignon, Petite Sirah, Petit Verdot, Malbec, Cabernet Franc, Sauvignon Blanc, Scheurebe and Viognier, along with a 4-acre olive grove.
Came to U.S. 1980
Years with JPV: 22
Place of birth: Oaxaca, Mexico.
Biographical sketch: Miguel grew up one of 10 siblings. His mother passed away in 1996 and his father still lives in Oaxaca. Three brothers are still in Mexico, but the rest are in California working in vineyards and restaurants.
Miguel met his wife Maria when he was 18 and had returned to Mexico for a visit. "I didn't think I would ever marry," he muses. "I wasn't ready." But nine years later, at the age of 27, they were wed. They live in St. Helena and have three children, Lucia (12), Julio (7) and Jackelin (1-1/2).
Biggest challenge: All the different soil types and microclimates have different requirements. Also, because the vineyards are at the winery location itself, it is very important that they always look clean and uniform.
Vision for the future: "Improve vineyard practices. The biodynamic principles Philippe Pessereau is introducing will help, most recently the application of compost onto the soil after harvest and before the rainy season to leach nutrients into the soil."
Joel Robledo, Supervisor, Freestone & Quail Hill Vineyards, Sonoma County
Responsibilities: Manages 80 acres of Pinot Noir and 19 acres of Chardonnay with a crew of 13.
Came to U.S. 1980
Years with JPV: One. (Previously worked for Beringer's for 13 years in Knight's Valley.)
Place of birth: Michoacan, Mexico.
Biographical sketch: Joel has 10 brothers, all of whom work in California vineyards. His parents and two sisters are still in Mexico.
Joel was introduced to his wife Hilda at a dance when they were 15. They married at 21 and live in Windsor with their son, Joel Jr., who is 16.
Biggest challenge: "There are many challenges at Freestone," Joel reports. "We have been plagued by a gopher epidemic which has de-stroyed many vines. The climate is cool and foggy which can weaken the vines, and this year many were pruned way back to strengthen them for next year. Birds have been a problem, and netting was installed this year to protect the fruit."
Vision for the future: "Strengthen the vines so that they will flourish, increasing their quality and yield."
Hermann Hernandez Supervisor, Backus Vyd. (Oakville) & Las Rocas Vyd. (Stag's Leap District)
Responsibilities: Manages a crew of 6-8 who, between Oakville and Stag's Leap, work 56 acres of Cabernet Sauvignon and 5 acres of Merlot.
Came to U.S. 1986
Year started with with JPV: 1991
Place of birth: Oaxaca, Mexico.
Biographical sketch: Hermann (known as Taqua) comes from a family of 8 brothers, all
of whom are in California and Oregon working in either vineyards, construction, or the restaurant business. In 1980 he moved his parents from Mexico to the Napa Valley where both are now employed.
Taqua met his wife Reyna in school when they were 7 years old! They married in 1987 and currently live in St. Helena with their son Hermann (10) and daughter Lupita (11).
Notable achievement: Taqua won last year's Pruning Championship in Yountville, a county-wide competition that judges the entrant on both speed and quality.
Biggest challenge: The steepness of the slope at Backus (much of the vineyard is at a 250 angle), and the size of the rocks.
Vision for the future: "I am very proud of the importance of the Backus and Las Rocas Vineyards. In the future everything will be more stable at Backus as we get better control over the rocks. Sometimes the vines' roots struggle for nutrients, and as we break up the rocks and compost the soil, the vines gain strength. In future years this will increase production and improve quality."
Constantino Corro, Supervisor Machine Maintenance
Responsibilities: Maintains all vineyard equipment and oversees a crew of 6 tractor drivers. Holds a commercial truck driving license.
Came to U.S. 1972
Year started with JPV: 1974
Place of birth: Oaxaca, Mexico.
Biographical sketch: With the exception of one sister, "Tino's" family, consisting of his parents, 6 brothers and 5 sisters, all still live in Mexico. He and his wife Josefina have four children, Victor Hugo (24), a winery worker in Napa; Constantino, Jr. (21) who works for United Parcel Service; Luis Alberto (17), a St. Helena High School student; and Stephanie (2-1/2).
Biggest challenge: "I have more responsibility now because I'm in charge of the equipment and the drivers. If anything, I'm more careful and alert than I've ever been. Each day I have to check all the equipment and make sure it's running perfectly for the following day. Notable achievement: Tino's remarkable ability to repair and maintain heavy machinery (tractors and caterpillars) is almost completely self-taught. "In the early years, Bulmaro taught me about tractors and gave me the opportunity to learn everything else on my own," he explains.
2003 Harvest Report:
September 11, 2003, 8:45 a.m. With the sun backlighting the live oaks and redwoods on the southeast side of the winery, the first grapes arrive at Joseph Phelps Vineyards. This picture does not represent the entire staff as many are out in the vineyards. The moment is one of muted celebration amidst awareness of the terrible loss this anniversary date represents.
Prognostications of "doom" unfounded for
By Craig Williams, Director of Winemaking
Reviewing stacks of climate and vineyard data collected during the past few months prior to
the harvest, I rediscovered a bulletin issued from a prominent North Coast laboratory I had
kept in the file. The thrust of their report was unnerving: the 2003 growing season began as
a cool year; the high amount of rainfall in April meant excess vigor, large berry size and low quality, similar to the 1998 vintage. Further, the weather had been so cool through June it would be impossible for this vintage to make the ten-year-growing season "average" for
heat accumulation.
SEPTEMBER 27, 2003
Well, as of this writing the harvest is in full swing and I am reminded of Mark Twain's statement, originally credited to British Prime Minister Benjamin Disraeli: "There are three kinds of lies: lies, damn lies and statistics."
What a long way we've come since June! The weather in July was hot, sultry, and with atypical thunderstorms frequenting the evening sky. August, too, was without its usual fog-shrouded mornings. Clear skies provided a complete daily dose of solar radiation to the vines and fruit, allowing for good photosynthesis and fruit development. And although the September 11 start of harvest for Sauvignon Blanc was one of the latest in our 30-year history, extremely hot weather from September 11th through 22nd has been both helpful and stressful for this vintage — helpful in providing needed heat accumulation for the vineyards as noted above, but stressful by rapidly increasing sugar content beyond our ability to mitigate.
Six out of those twelve days saw temperatures rise above 100 degrees with three days above 104! Vintners nervously watched sugar content increase at a rate of more than one degree Brix per day in some vineyards.
Because of the slow start of the growing season, flavor development is also behind the "average" harvest date, but we expect most vineyards to fully develop good flavor maturity at the end of September. And while hot weather is much more welcome than rainy weather at this critical time, in this case the heat brought about high sugars without commensurate flavor development — the classic Napa Valley predicament.
We are just now seeing full flavors develop in the red grapes. Fortunately, the heat spell broke on the 23rd. The weather has been delightful with the usual overcast morning sky yielding to warm, sunny afternoons. Temperatures have been in the low to mid eighties. More importantly, the grapes have actually seen a reversal in sugar content as the vines' water status returns to a less stressful balance.
Actual crop harvested has been lower than estimates. Berry size is small with excellent acid balance for both red and white varieties. Flavor maturity in red grapes appears strong with especially good pigmentation this year. With tongue in cheek, I'd say the 2003 harvest appears "on average" to be a great year! Of course, as in each and every year, the proof will come later. And in thinking about the great vintages of the last 15 years or so, statistically no two vintages have been alike.
OCTOBER 17, 2003
With approximately 300 tons remaining on the vine, we have vowed to accept the path of patience as it applies to harvesting the remaining fruit. The weather, although ideal in terms of sun and lack of rain, could be warmer. Sugar content has risen slowly over the last two weeks. Fragrance and flavor are good and the majority of the fermentations are proceeding without difficulty.
Freestone is experiencing another cool growing season. A few tons of Pinot Noir harvested earlier this week have initiated some experiments involving wild yeasts and cold macerations both prior to and after fermentation. We expect to harvest the balance of the crop including Chardonnay by the end of next week.
As the cellar begins its job of producing wine, the vineyard crew now turns its attention to stabilizing the vineyards for the winter and adding amendments to the soil.
Erosion control methods involve digging diversion ditches, silting fences, applying straw to bare soil to mitigate runoff, and seeding of cover crops. Compost mixed with gypsum will be applied to most of our vineyards. This is an especially important post-harvest activity as the compost not only improves the health of the soil, it supplies important nutrients to the vine as winter rains transport essential elements such as nitrogen, calcium, phosphorous and potassium to the root zone.
California Politics: Confounding
By Tom Shelton
Perhaps California's recent dark night of the political soul is best described as entertainment. With the world's sixth largest economy sinking under the weight of a crushing 40 billion dollar deficit, our potpourri of potential leaders took political discourse to the level of a Jerry Springer interview; and they made us laugh long enough to distract California from the painful choices that lie ahead.
Given a campaign devoid of a single innovative idea it is no surprise that voters turned to an action hero to do something (to do anything, or, at the very least, to simply keep us entertained). Starved for real food, the electorate took a roadside exit on the way to Sacramento and ordered up a super-sized snack with fries on the side.
But let's not be cynical. Since the beginning of term limits Sacramento has become a confounding and inhospitable place. With the general election of our representatives
relegated to a minor curiosity, the real stage has moved to primary elections where extreme views are rewarded. Consequently, the legislature has become a center-less snake pit of centrifugal energy that is better quarantined than unleashed upon an unsuspecting public. In the current context, only Harrison Ford may have been a better choice to tame the vipers than Governor Arnold.
A ship of state floundering in a dangerous current requires a strong hand and a reliable crew. Hopefully, the new governor will use his Hollywood-honed skills to persuade the representatives of a divided electorate that representative democracy is all about subrogating narrowly defined political expectations to the general welfare of the electorate. This is a tall order, indeed, in a state where "what's yours is mine and what's mine is mine" rises to the stature of political anthem.
Regardless, I am hopeful! After all, it is always darkest before the dawn, and Governor, we'll leave the light on for you, because this is one great industry that has nowhere else to go.
What occasioned this wine-on-the-road-to-Damascus awakening was my discovery of Joseph Phelps Vineyards' Insignia. At a wine-tasting dinner in New York, several big names from France, Italy and California were being poured, but the Insignia 1994 stood out head and shoulders above the rest. This set me to ponder why I have never paid much attention to the wine before.
Sure, Joseph Phelps is one of those handful of great California wineries that were, so to speak, "present at the creation" — that's the early 1970s, ancient history in California wine time — and who were responsible for the region's meteoric ascendancy.
But to my mind this is a disadvantage. Their star status means these wines are often expensive, very expensive in some case, and so I tend to pass them by...[but] I chastised myself for not noticing before what a truly great wine Insignia is.
...There are toasty, almost sweet oak flavors, luscious ripe black fruits and amazing multilayered depth of complexity. It's soft, luxurious and a pure delight to drink.
October 28, 2003 — From left to right: Joel Robledo, Supervisor, Freestone & Quail Hill, (Sonoma County); German Corro, Vineyard Manager; Miguel Rojas, Supervisor, St. Helena Ranch; Hermann Hernandez, Supervisor, Backus Vineyard (Oakville) & Las Rocas Vyd. (Stag's Leap District).
A New Era Begins: Bulmaro Montes
retires and the vineyard supervisors of
Joseph Phelps take on additional
job responsibilities
By Kathie Fowler In June of this year Bulmaro Montes, JPV's vineyard manager, retired. Bulmaro had been with the winery since its inception, helping put in the first vineyards at the Spring Valley Ranch in 1973 and bringing in many of the vineyard workers who are still here today.
With Bulmaro's retirement, viticulturists Philippe Pessereau and Greg Cannon were promoted to Director of Vineyard Operations in Napa and Sonoma Counties, respectively. Sarah Black, who had been a viticultural assistant, was promoted to Viticulturist. These three talented employees did a magnificent job managing the 2003 crush, and they will be featured in the next issue of the Spring Valley Times.
In this issue, we highlight the vineyard supervisors who have taken over the day-to-day responsibilities of vineyard management since Bulmaro's retirement. They comprise a remarkable group of men whose loyalty and hard work have contributed incalculably to Joseph Phelps Vineyards' success. They were a fun and enthusiastic group to interview and are clearly reveling in their new job responsibilities, some of which have been communicated to them by Veronica Navarro, the new Vineyard/HR Administrative Assistant who came to work in July of this year.
German Corro explains the new system that has everyone so excited:
"Veronica has taught us invoice coding, how to fill out time sheets and worker's comp and accident reports. Before, only one person handled all this."
"The workers have more responsibility," Veronica reports, "and everyone's individual talents are surfacing. They are clearly enjoying the learning curve and have a lot to offer."
Veronica reveals that there were difficulties in the beginning teaching administrative details to people not fluent in English. "There was a language barrier," Veronica explains. "If supervisors in three different vineyards were all leaf pulling on a given day, each time sheet for that day would say something different. One might say hoja, which means leaf. Another could say desahijar, meaning leaf removal. A third description might be barilla, which means removal of stunted shoots. It was very difficult to interpret the time sheets."Veronica, with A.S. degrees in Behavioral Science, Human Services and Computer Science, created a system to standardize the daily job descriptions.
"The accounting department assigns a number to a vineyard and a job, and I taught the supervisors how to apply this information to the time sheets. At first they were confused, but when they finally understood the system, they loved it."
"It empowered everyone," German agrees. "They had never been given this much responsibility and it energized the whole crew."
German Corro, Vineyard ManagerResponsibilities: Oversees all vineyard operations and supervisers.
Came to U.S. 1967
Years with JPV: 29
Place of birth: Oaxaca, Mexico.
Biographical sketch: There is clearly no lack of talent and drive in German's family, which consists of five brothers and four sisters. Three are still in Mexico, but of the 6 who are here, Hugo Corro, JPV's Maintenance Manager, came to work in 1989 after having completed junior college in Mexico. Horacio Corro, who also worked at JPV for a while, graduated from U.C. Davis with a degree in Biology. German has two sons, Paulo Corro, a college graduate with a business degree who is a realtor in Napa; and Hermann Corro who is attending Sonoma State University studying to be a teacher.
German is clearly proud of his childrens' accomplishments as he explains that "the advantage of having lived in this country for so many years is it enabled me to provide an education for my brothers and sisters and children." He has been married to his wife Sylvia for 24 years and lives in Napa.
Biggest challenge: "Every day is a new challenge. I never know what's coming next. But I have the best support I could ever want from my supervisors. They all help make my job easier by being experienced workers and easy to talk to. I can tell them what I want and they communicate it to the workers."
Vision for the future: "To learn what I need to improve all aspects of JPV's farming practices. To be the best that I can be."
Miguel Rojas, Supervisor, St. Helena RanchResponsibilities: Manages a crew of 11 who tend 115 acres of assorted varietals including Cabernet Sauvignon, Petite Sirah, Petit Verdot, Malbec, Cabernet Franc, Sauvignon Blanc, Scheurebe and Viognier, along with a 4-acre olive grove.
Came to U.S. 1980
Years with JPV: 22
Place of birth: Oaxaca, Mexico.
Biographical sketch: Miguel grew up one of 10 siblings. His mother passed away in 1996 and his father still lives in Oaxaca. Three brothers are still in Mexico, but the rest are in California working in vineyards and restaurants.
Miguel met his wife Maria when he was 18 and had returned to Mexico for a visit. "I didn't think I would ever marry," he muses. "I wasn't ready." But nine years later, at the age of 27, they were wed. They live in St. Helena and have three children, Lucia (12), Julio (7) and Jackelin (1-1/2).
Biggest challenge: All the different soil types and microclimates have different requirements. Also, because the vineyards are at the winery location itself, it is very important that they always look clean and uniform.
Vision for the future: "Improve vineyard practices. The biodynamic principles Philippe Pessereau is introducing will help, most recently the application of compost onto the soil after harvest and before the rainy season to leach nutrients into the soil."
Joel Robledo, Supervisor, Freestone & Quail Hill Vineyards, Sonoma CountyResponsibilities: Manages 80 acres of Pinot Noir and 19 acres of Chardonnay with a crew of 13.
Came to U.S. 1980
Years with JPV: One. (Previously worked for Beringer's for 13 years in Knight's Valley.)
Place of birth: Michoacan, Mexico.
Biographical sketch: Joel has 10 brothers, all of whom work in California vineyards. His parents and two sisters are still in Mexico.
Joel was introduced to his wife Hilda at a dance when they were 15. They married at 21 and live in Windsor with their son, Joel Jr., who is 16.
Biggest challenge: "There are many challenges at Freestone," Joel reports. "We have been plagued by a gopher epidemic which has de-stroyed many vines. The climate is cool and foggy which can weaken the vines, and this year many were pruned way back to strengthen them for next year. Birds have been a problem, and netting was installed this year to protect the fruit."
Vision for the future: "Strengthen the vines so that they will flourish, increasing their quality and yield."
Hermann Hernandez Supervisor, Backus Vyd. (Oakville) & Las Rocas Vyd. (Stag's Leap District)Responsibilities: Manages a crew of 6-8 who, between Oakville and Stag's Leap, work 56 acres of Cabernet Sauvignon and 5 acres of Merlot.
Came to U.S. 1986
Year started with with JPV: 1991
Place of birth: Oaxaca, Mexico.
Biographical sketch: Hermann (known as Taqua) comes from a family of 8 brothers, all
of whom are in California and Oregon working in either vineyards, construction, or the restaurant business. In 1980 he moved his parents from Mexico to the Napa Valley where both are now employed.
Taqua met his wife Reyna in school when they were 7 years old! They married in 1987 and currently live in St. Helena with their son Hermann (10) and daughter Lupita (11).
Notable achievement: Taqua won last year's Pruning Championship in Yountville, a county-wide competition that judges the entrant on both speed and quality.
Biggest challenge: The steepness of the slope at Backus (much of the vineyard is at a 250 angle), and the size of the rocks.
Vision for the future: "I am very proud of the importance of the Backus and Las Rocas Vineyards. In the future everything will be more stable at Backus as we get better control over the rocks. Sometimes the vines' roots struggle for nutrients, and as we break up the rocks and compost the soil, the vines gain strength. In future years this will increase production and improve quality."
Constantino Corro, Supervisor Machine MaintenanceResponsibilities: Maintains all vineyard equipment and oversees a crew of 6 tractor drivers. Holds a commercial truck driving license.
Came to U.S. 1972
Year started with JPV: 1974
Place of birth: Oaxaca, Mexico.
Biographical sketch: With the exception of one sister, "Tino's" family, consisting of his parents, 6 brothers and 5 sisters, all still live in Mexico. He and his wife Josefina have four children, Victor Hugo (24), a winery worker in Napa; Constantino, Jr. (21) who works for United Parcel Service; Luis Alberto (17), a St. Helena High School student; and Stephanie (2-1/2).
Biggest challenge: "I have more responsibility now because I'm in charge of the equipment and the drivers. If anything, I'm more careful and alert than I've ever been. Each day I have to check all the equipment and make sure it's running perfectly for the following day. Notable achievement: Tino's remarkable ability to repair and maintain heavy machinery (tractors and caterpillars) is almost completely self-taught. "In the early years, Bulmaro taught me about tractors and gave me the opportunity to learn everything else on my own," he explains.
2003 Harvest Report:
September 11, 2003, 8:45 a.m. With the sun backlighting the live oaks and redwoods on the southeast side of the winery, the first grapes arrive at Joseph Phelps Vineyards. This picture does not represent the entire staff as many are out in the vineyards. The moment is one of muted celebration amidst awareness of the terrible loss this anniversary date represents.
Prognostications of "doom" unfounded for
2003 Harvest
By Craig Williams, Director of Winemaking Reviewing stacks of climate and vineyard data collected during the past few months prior to
the harvest, I rediscovered a bulletin issued from a prominent North Coast laboratory I had
kept in the file. The thrust of their report was unnerving: the 2003 growing season began as
a cool year; the high amount of rainfall in April meant excess vigor, large berry size and low quality, similar to the 1998 vintage. Further, the weather had been so cool through June it would be impossible for this vintage to make the ten-year-growing season "average" for
heat accumulation.
SEPTEMBER 27, 2003
Well, as of this writing the harvest is in full swing and I am reminded of Mark Twain's statement, originally credited to British Prime Minister Benjamin Disraeli: "There are three kinds of lies: lies, damn lies and statistics."
What a long way we've come since June! The weather in July was hot, sultry, and with atypical thunderstorms frequenting the evening sky. August, too, was without its usual fog-shrouded mornings. Clear skies provided a complete daily dose of solar radiation to the vines and fruit, allowing for good photosynthesis and fruit development. And although the September 11 start of harvest for Sauvignon Blanc was one of the latest in our 30-year history, extremely hot weather from September 11th through 22nd has been both helpful and stressful for this vintage — helpful in providing needed heat accumulation for the vineyards as noted above, but stressful by rapidly increasing sugar content beyond our ability to mitigate.
Six out of those twelve days saw temperatures rise above 100 degrees with three days above 104! Vintners nervously watched sugar content increase at a rate of more than one degree Brix per day in some vineyards.
Because of the slow start of the growing season, flavor development is also behind the "average" harvest date, but we expect most vineyards to fully develop good flavor maturity at the end of September. And while hot weather is much more welcome than rainy weather at this critical time, in this case the heat brought about high sugars without commensurate flavor development — the classic Napa Valley predicament.
We are just now seeing full flavors develop in the red grapes. Fortunately, the heat spell broke on the 23rd. The weather has been delightful with the usual overcast morning sky yielding to warm, sunny afternoons. Temperatures have been in the low to mid eighties. More importantly, the grapes have actually seen a reversal in sugar content as the vines' water status returns to a less stressful balance.
Actual crop harvested has been lower than estimates. Berry size is small with excellent acid balance for both red and white varieties. Flavor maturity in red grapes appears strong with especially good pigmentation this year. With tongue in cheek, I'd say the 2003 harvest appears "on average" to be a great year! Of course, as in each and every year, the proof will come later. And in thinking about the great vintages of the last 15 years or so, statistically no two vintages have been alike.
OCTOBER 17, 2003
With approximately 300 tons remaining on the vine, we have vowed to accept the path of patience as it applies to harvesting the remaining fruit. The weather, although ideal in terms of sun and lack of rain, could be warmer. Sugar content has risen slowly over the last two weeks. Fragrance and flavor are good and the majority of the fermentations are proceeding without difficulty.Freestone is experiencing another cool growing season. A few tons of Pinot Noir harvested earlier this week have initiated some experiments involving wild yeasts and cold macerations both prior to and after fermentation. We expect to harvest the balance of the crop including Chardonnay by the end of next week.
As the cellar begins its job of producing wine, the vineyard crew now turns its attention to stabilizing the vineyards for the winter and adding amendments to the soil.
Erosion control methods involve digging diversion ditches, silting fences, applying straw to bare soil to mitigate runoff, and seeding of cover crops. Compost mixed with gypsum will be applied to most of our vineyards. This is an especially important post-harvest activity as the compost not only improves the health of the soil, it supplies important nutrients to the vine as winter rains transport essential elements such as nitrogen, calcium, phosphorous and potassium to the root zone.
Uncorked!
by Tom Shelton
California Politics: Confounding
and Inhospitable
By Tom SheltonPerhaps California's recent dark night of the political soul is best described as entertainment. With the world's sixth largest economy sinking under the weight of a crushing 40 billion dollar deficit, our potpourri of potential leaders took political discourse to the level of a Jerry Springer interview; and they made us laugh long enough to distract California from the painful choices that lie ahead.
Given a campaign devoid of a single innovative idea it is no surprise that voters turned to an action hero to do something (to do anything, or, at the very least, to simply keep us entertained). Starved for real food, the electorate took a roadside exit on the way to Sacramento and ordered up a super-sized snack with fries on the side.
But let's not be cynical. Since the beginning of term limits Sacramento has become a confounding and inhospitable place. With the general election of our representatives
relegated to a minor curiosity, the real stage has moved to primary elections where extreme views are rewarded. Consequently, the legislature has become a center-less snake pit of centrifugal energy that is better quarantined than unleashed upon an unsuspecting public. In the current context, only Harrison Ford may have been a better choice to tame the vipers than Governor Arnold.
A ship of state floundering in a dangerous current requires a strong hand and a reliable crew. Hopefully, the new governor will use his Hollywood-honed skills to persuade the representatives of a divided electorate that representative democracy is all about subrogating narrowly defined political expectations to the general welfare of the electorate. This is a tall order, indeed, in a state where "what's yours is mine and what's mine is mine" rises to the stature of political anthem.
Regardless, I am hopeful! After all, it is always darkest before the dawn, and Governor, we'll leave the light on for you, because this is one great industry that has nowhere else to go.
Wine Spectator
Tasting Report California Cabernet
James Laube's Recommended California Cabernet Sauvignons & BlendsJOSEPH PHELPS Cabernet Sauvignon Oakville Backus 1999 — 93New Releases
Concentrated, with currant, mocha, earth, leather and black cherry. Focused finish with mouthcoating tannins.
JOSEPH PHELPS Cabernet Sauvignon Oakville Backus 2000 — 911993 California Cabernet Retrospective
Dark, rich and concentrated, with a firm tannin and oak backbone supporting a core of earthy currant, blackberry and pencil shaving scents. Intense and vibrant, it needs short-term cellaring.
JOSEPH PHELPS Insignia Napa Valley 1993 — 90
A dense, compact, earthy style that definitely needs decanting,with firm, chalky tannins wrapped around a core of earth, tar, leather, mulch and currant. Finished with mineral and earth flavors that start to grow on you. Can age another decade.
Forbes.com
Wine of the Week
I experienced a wine epiphany recently, and what a delightful experience it turned out to be.What occasioned this wine-on-the-road-to-Damascus awakening was my discovery of Joseph Phelps Vineyards' Insignia. At a wine-tasting dinner in New York, several big names from France, Italy and California were being poured, but the Insignia 1994 stood out head and shoulders above the rest. This set me to ponder why I have never paid much attention to the wine before.
Sure, Joseph Phelps is one of those handful of great California wineries that were, so to speak, "present at the creation" — that's the early 1970s, ancient history in California wine time — and who were responsible for the region's meteoric ascendancy.
But to my mind this is a disadvantage. Their star status means these wines are often expensive, very expensive in some case, and so I tend to pass them by...[but] I chastised myself for not noticing before what a truly great wine Insignia is.
...There are toasty, almost sweet oak flavors, luscious ripe black fruits and amazing multilayered depth of complexity. It's soft, luxurious and a pure delight to drink.
