So Harvest 2009 is cruising along at Michel-Schlumberger. All the pinot blanc, chardonnay, pinot noir and zinfandel has been picked and squashed and is bubbling away in barrels, bins and tanks. The big reds aren’t far behind. It rained a bit yesterday (no picking today) so I have a chance to get caught up on catching people up.
Hand-picked Dijon clone chardonnay from the benchlands
Winemaker Brunson is busy walking the vineyards, sampling grapes, checking numbers, sniffing, tasting, hauling hoses, hydrating yeast, driving forklift and making the occasional beer run. But in between these activities I was able to pin him down for a quick Q & A Harvest update:
How many Harvests have you done in your life?
This is my 22nd harvest. More than half my life.
The best thing about Harvest is:
To finally have a chance to taste all of our efforts in the vineyard.
The worst thing about Harvest is:
That the growing season ends.
I know it’s early but what’s your favorite juice so far?
I have to say the Zinfandel is tasting very nice as is the Chardonnay from Bradford Mt.
What has surprised you most about the Harvest so far?
How calm things are. We have the finest crew in DCV…hands down.
Winemakers often say that they have dreams (or nightmares) about grapes during Harvest. Have you? If so, describe it.
I had one the other night. I walked over this bluff -where some of our finest Cabernet Sauvignon comes from- and everything was gone gone. Trellis wire, end posts, irrigation lines and vines…all gone. Just bare land. Even in my dream I knew that it wasn’t very realistic.
da man
What’s your favorite music to pop in the Cellar stereo in the middle of a long day of crushing?
I like reggae music. I call it musical air conditioning. Bunny Wailer’s Blackheart Man is an amazing album.
Is there any Harvest crew in Dry Creek Valley that could beat the M-S team in a game of hoops?
Winemaker Brunson doing some night dunking
Beat MS? I don’t know about that. Maybe Gallo could field a team to challenge us. They have a lot more to choose from though. Dry Creek Vineyard might have some gamers. Amongst the little wineries, probably not. Preston? Nope. Quivira? Nope. Bella? Don’t know. Unti? Probably not. Raffanelli? One of the daughters played college hoops I think, but I don’t think they have anyone else. Maybe Mauritson? I don’t know their crew that well. I think Peterson could round up a team. They just won the softball World Series. But we all know that softball isn’t the same as hoops, right?
Rumor has it that the annual Cellar and Vineyard Crew Harvest parties are legendary. True?
Yes…
We’ve all heard Winemakers go on and on about the complexities of a new vintage. I’d like one simple haiku that sums up the 2009 Harvest at Michel-Schlumberger.
Stony fruit arrives
To the careful waiting hands
Now transformation
A flock of starlings over a field. Beautiful.
