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After 10 years we decided it was time to get around to planting the hillside above the Winery Block. For years this has been covered in scrub. We have wanted to plant this block but we also wanted to grow and prosper as a winery before we decided to clear this land, invest in plants, rip the hillside, dig post holes, etc., etc. This is around two acres in size and we are planting the Pommard clone here. While it will take a few years to get any fruit from this section of the vineyard and even longer for the plants to produce what we would consider to be higher quality, mature style Pinot Noir we are certain that what will come off of this section of the vineyard will be interesting and excellent fruit. Sitting out on the back deck in the summer this block always has the last rays of sunshine beaming upon it. Combined with the steep pitch there should be no lack of ripening and if this part of the hillside produces anything like the section below it (Winery Block) or the section above it (Bonshaw Block) then we should be in good shape.
Of course, not all plans go exactly according to how things were envisioned. Mostly what was up on that hillside prior to the way it looks in these photos was a morass of standard Pacific Northwest scrub. There were a couple of small trees, a variety of underbrush, Scotch Broom, weeds and ground cover. There were no big trees, stumps or boulders to take out which made for a fairly easy removal of all the unwanted material. By September of last year the section was cleared with the exception of a couple of small piles of debris that were burned to ash. We had just harvested our half ton of 2009 Muscat Ottentol (a new and very interesting venture that we have going on) and it was a beautiful, sunny late September day. We were just finishing up when Patty noticed a large stream of smoke rising out of the plateau above the cleared block where we store some equipment and (uh oh) have our burn pile (hey, it’s the countryside, everyone out here has one). Well, if you have heard the old adage of “where there is smoke there is fire” you should note that where there is a lot of smoke there is a big old, honkin’ fire. The burn pile had apparently been ignited by a couple of stray embers and this fairly sizeable heap of dry tinder was now a raging fire that was threatening to burn up the upper hillside.
For the rest of the story and to see the complete Spring 2010 Newsletter click here.
For the fall 2009 Newsletter click here.
Get the amazing 2008 vintage here!
Check out our store for the release of the amazing 2008 Vintage and our fun, affordable 2nd label. Plus do not miss the offering of the 2009 futures mentioned in the Spring 2010 Newsletter.
Need help as to when to drink our wines take a look at the updated vintage chart under find our wines. It is completely current through 2007. Some categories on some of the wines have changed since the last time we posted (ex. many of the 2000 Pinot's have moved into the Drink category). Take a look and see where your stash of PGC wines is at in its evolutionary stage. We always appreciate input on older wines you have had recently so let us know.
2008 Vintage
The 2008 growing season was a tricky one that was ultimately bailed out by a terrific month of weather in October. One of the most frequent questions we are asked at winemaker dinners, tasting, cocktail parties, etc. is, “So, how is this vintage going to be?” While there are a million factors that go into what determines the overall nature and quality of a vintage the biggest one is, no doubt, what the weather is like leading up to and during the time that we are harvesting our fruit. In June of 2008 things did not look so wonderful. For those of you reading this who live in the Northwest you might remember how cold a winter we had (by our Northwest standards) which led into a cool and damp springtime. By June we were probably 2-3 weeks or more behind what we would normally expect to be seeing in our vineyards. By June we knew we were going to have a later harvest. As with every late or potentially late harvest the question that looms largest is, “When is the rain going to come and not go away?”
To continue reading on the complete 2008 vintage Click Here.
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