2017
The 2017 vintage is one that will be remembered for its extremes. A short growing season was capped with intense heat, resulting in a quick and compact harvest that kept our tanks full.
The winter brought much needed rain to Sonoma County, with near weekly potent storms. It was wet everywhere, and the Estate vineyard received above average rainfall. A deep cold front in spring delayed bloom and fruit set, a reversal from the earlier bud break from the past several years.
Once the sun returned, warm weather persisted throughout the entire growing season. With the topsoil charged with enough moisture from the wet winter, the vines grew at breakneck speed with intense dark green foliage. June kicked off a summer of record heat, with temperatures in the low-100’s throughout Sonoma County, including the normally cool Russian River Valley. The vines responded with dramatic shoot and rapid canopy growth.
The warm weather continued with back-to-back heat spells that kickstarted harvest in dramatic fashion. On Aug 29th we brought in fruit from the Hallberg ranch and our Estate. The following day we picked in all of Laguna and Alberigi, plus some of both Savoy and Estate Pinot Noir. Due to the persistent heat, we scheduled our picks in the very early mornings to avoid any desiccation and retain natural acidity in the fruit. It definitely was a year for the record books. Harvest was relentless and it was non-stop and exhausting. Luckily, we never ran out of tank space, although they were always full.
We finished picking the last fruit, Dusty Lane Syrah on Saturday, October 7th. The following evening, October 8th, brought the last extreme of the 2017 vintage, with the outbreak of multiple Wine Country wildfires – some of the most destructive in California recorded history. We were very fortunate we were not in their direct paths, and the fruit was safely in the cellar, but it was a significant event that ultimately shaped the vintage in our memory.
