Vintage 2021: Approaching the End of June

We are nearing the end of June and this month has brought flowering and fruitset. We have also seen our canopy take off like we have never seen before. Like good vineyard parents, we provide our vines with all the best training accoutrement, but the vines prefer to grow outside of the catch wires so a good amount of our time is spent shoot tucking the errant growth and cleaning around the graft union to allow for air flow. These are photos of our Chenin Blanc before and after shoot tucking.

Here is another photo taken on June 22, of the Chenin Blanc with the canopy above the last catch wire and the Chenin Blanc at berry set.

While our focus was on the Chenin Blanc, the Cabernet Sauvignon decided to get out of hand so we turned our focus on the taming of the Cabernet Sauvignon. These are photos taken on June 27.

The Cabernet Sauvignon vines are getting older, we have never seen flowers that look so large.

There will be more of the same work for us today and into July as shoot tucking is an ongoing activity.

Modified Eicchorn-Lorenz: Berry Formation

This year, I've been trying to capture the various Eicchorn-Lorenz Stage that our vineyard is going through so I began with these blogposts:
Modified Eicchorn-Lorenz
Modified Eicchorn-Lorenz: Shoot and Inflorescence Development
Modified Eicchorn-Lorenz: Flowering
Our vineyard is now in the Eicchorn-Lorenz Berry Formation stage:

The tasks associated with Berry Formation include:

Phenological Stage

Vineyard Task

Berry Formation

•Greatest window of disease susceptibility is from the period beginning two weeks before bloom and extending four weeks past fruit set •During this time, use the best products and canopy-management practices for preventing fungal diseases on the fruit and the canopy •A fungicide with a long pre-harvest interval (PHI), such as mancozeb (with a PHI of 66 days), must be taken out of a spray program based not on calendar date, but on a phenological indicator

All of our varieties are now in bloom and all of them are at some stage of fruit set. The Chardonnay is the farthest along:

Hedging in June

Some of our grape varieties are growing beyond the top catch wire. My husband and I are thinking about hedging or topping our shoots.
What is hedging and what are some of it's ramifications?:¹

• trimming of the vine to produce vertical canopies resembling a hedge
• done at the growing or apical ends of the shoot
• also called tipping or topping
• removes entangling vegetation, facilitating the movement of machinery through the vineyard
• reduces carbohydrate competition between new, expanding leaves and the fruit, but also lowers vine capacity
• increases light and atmospheric exposure of the leaves and fruit
• can stimulate undesirable lateral bud activation
• late hedging (after véraison) seldom activates lateral growth

This brings to question, when should we hedge?²

• light trimming shortly after fruit set leads to improvements in amino acid and ammonia nitrogen levels
• hedge canopies after fruit set if canopy development on normal growth vines is excessive (>20 leaves or nodes per shoot)
• hedging any time before, during, or immediately following bloom will lower yields due to decreased fruit set
• early hedging while soil moisture is abundant will promote lateral shoot growth leading to increased canopy density, increased bunch rot, decreased fruit quality, and possibly, second crop
• severe hedging will delay ripening by reducing leaf area and also exposes unacclimated fruit to direct sunlight, increasing sunburn and berry shrivel
• hedging established vineyards late, light, and in conjunction with regulated deficit irrigation and balanced mineral nutrient management is best

Since we are still in bloom we will wait to hedge until later.
References:
1. Ronald Jackson, Wine Science Third Edition, Elsevier, 2008, pg. 120.
2. Lodi Wine Growers, To Hedge or Not to Hedge?.

Vintage 2021: June Work Fun Balance

It's not officially summer yet, but the grape vines have taken off and we are shoot tucking, shoot positioning and shoot thinning around the graft union in the Chenin Blanc.
This brings us in close contact with the vines. So far, we have seen two empty bluebird nests neatly built around the vines in the graft union. This photo also shows how many shoots are in the region of the graft union which is quite typical of Chenin Blanc clone 982.
We are pruning the excess shoots to give the vines air flow in that region. This means that we are also deciding how many shoots to keep for next year's canes.
Photos from last year on June 17, reminds us that we have to shoot position otherwise, the vines can become very unamangeable like this:

Photos like that (the horror, the horror!) provides the incentive on a hot, humid day like today to press on. Another incentive is that when working with my husband, he has such sharp eyesight that he finds cool things. On one of the tendrils there was a little bunch of something. We took a picture and when we looked at it in detail, it was the instar of the spined soldier beetle. Definitely, a good thing to have in the vineyard.

Cool sitings and the occasional breeze that carries with it the scent of honeysuckle that is blooming around the vineyard makes work not work.

June Growth Comparison

Yesterday, my husband and I were working in the Auxerrois, shoot tucking and shoot positioning this year's growth into the catch wires. As we were working, I asked myself (silently), we provide all this elaborate training system of catch wires for the vines so that they can achieve their ultimate self expression, but they refuse to grow in the catch wires. I am always looking at photos of last year and our spreadsheet for last year so that we can get to the vines that need the most help in a timely way. However, while working in the Auxerrois, it did seem as if the vines were growing much, much faster than it did last year. In looking at the Auxerrois from last year at this time and this year, this is what I found:

The view of the Auxerrois is from the north end of the vineyard looking to the south end of the vineyard. In each photo year, the Auxerrois is on the right hand side and the next row on the left hand side is the Chenin Blanc. These photos also show that the Chenin Blanc growth is also ahead of last year.
In the afternoon, we went to the Barbera on the far east side of the vineyard. The Barbera was just at the point of becoming unwieldy! The vines were growing over the top catchwires! The Barbera's tendrils can be 8 inches in length and can grab on to anything. We were cutting tendrils off of other shoots and positioning the shoots with Agfast. Here is a photo showing what the Barbera looked like last year compared with this year.

Yikes!

2017 Shiba Wichern Nuestro Sueño Pinot Noir

My husband made a delicious dinner last night. On Wednesday, he spatchcocked a whole chicken and put a Penzy's Bangkok rub on it. When Wednesday evening came around, we got home late from our second shift in the vineyard and decided that the chicken could hang out for one more day so we went to WhiteCrest Eatery in the nearby Velvet Mill. They were slaying it. People really do want to go out. On Thursday, again, a late day in the vineyard, same for Friday so it was yesterday that he took out the chicken and pan fried it and then put it in the oven to finish cooking. With the first bite of the chicken, we realized that the long marinade was really good for the chicken because the flavors had penetrated into the chicken and it was delicious!
We are only drinking on the weekends now but having some foresight, my husband took out this 2017 Shiba Wichern Nuestro Sueño Pinot Noir from Oregon to drink with the chicken. The aroma on this Pinot Noir was heavenly. Fruity with strawberries, red bing cherries and a hint of violets on the nose. The flavor was one of sweet cherries, raspberries and a bit of strawberries, balanced by a nice acidity that gave the wine a depth and brightness even though the extraction was very delicate. The wine went well with the Asian style chicken!

On their website, Shiba Wichern tasting notes for this Pinot Noir says that 72 cases were made, pH 3.31, 13.3% ABV, 100% French Oak (3 fill, 2 fill & Neutral), 114 & 115 clones, native yeast fermentation, no filtering or fining, no additions except a tiny bit of SO₂.

Modified Eicchorn-Lorenz: Flowering

Yesterday, my husband was mowing the vineyard in the area where the Chardonnay is planted. I was working in the Chenin Blanc doing shoot tucking and shoot positioning duties. My husband came to where I was and told me that the Chardonnay in the north end of of our vineyard was beginning to bloom! That sounded really early to me but when we went there, sure enough, the Chardonnay are beginning to flower.
This brings us to the second stage of the Modified Eicchorn-Lorenz phenology which is flowering.

The tasks associated with flowering include:¹

Phenological Stage	Vineyard Task
Flowering	•Sample leaf tissue for nutrient analysis and start to introduce systemic fungicides into their spray programs Greatest window of disease susceptibility is from the period beginning two weeks before bloom and extending four weeks past fruit set •During this time, use the best products and canopy-management practices for preventing fungal diseases on the fruit and the canopy

Here is the progression of flowering in the Chardonnay:

It's time to update the annual cycle of growth chart for our various varieties as they enter critical stages and keep better track of the dates.
References:
1. Fritz Westover, Grapevine Phenology Revisited, Wines&Vines, March 2018.

Vintage 2021: June Heat Wave

We have had our first heat wave for this year. It began on June 5, Saturday and lasted until yesterday, Wednesday, June 9. In looking through my previous blogs that I have written about heat waves, this recent heat wave appears to be the earliest we have had since we planted our vineyard.

What is unusual about this heat is that just a week ago, on Memorial Day weekend, the high temperature was 49^o F and we had almost a month's worth of rain in 2 days. What does that do to vines? Here is an example of the Chardonnay canopy:

Variety	Photo
May 28 Chardonnay
June 8 Chardonnay

On June 3, I published a blog called Waiting for Flowering where I showed pictures of where our varieties were in terms of their inflorescence development. Just 10 days later, this is what the inflorescence looks like now:

Today, the heat wave broke and the humidity is much lower so it is a good day to work in the vineyard. We have much to do!

What's Going on Underground--The Rhizosphere

We are totally focussed on what is happening with our vines above ground but there are important things happening underground with the root system of a vine. Here is just a short list of what the root tip does:¹

• this region is the most physiologically active and has a highest risk of early mortality
• water and inorganic nutrient uptake
• synthesis of growth regulators
• site for the initiation of mycorrhizal associations
• root hairs and root cap also release organic nutrients into the soil, promoting the development of a unique microbial flora on and around the root
• development of a unique rhizosphere microbial flora on and around the root tip

What intrigued me about what I was reading was the mycorrhizal associations that the grapevine root tip makes creating a zone called the rhizosphere:

• grapevines are among the more than 80% of plant species that develop mycorrhizal associations
• only vesicular–arbuscular fungi invade grapevine roots
• Glomus species are the primary vesicular–arbuscular fungi associated with grapevines, although Acaulospora, Gigaspora, Scutellospora and Sclerocystis are occasionally involved
• root hairs are generally short-lived, and their collapse provides additional nutrients for microbial activity
• mycorrhizal roots are strong sinks for plant carbohydrates
• mycorrhizal hyphal extensions absorb and translocate minerals and water back to the root
• mycorrhizal fungi are more effective at mineral absorption than the root itself by producing hydroxyamates (peptides) that combine with and facilitate nutrient uptake
• mycorrhizal hyphae also secrete oxalate, citrate, and malate that mobilize various mineral elements
• mycorrhizal hyphae in mineral uptake is especially notable with poorly soluble inorganic nutrients, such as phosphorus, zinc, and copper
• mycorrhizal associations also appear to protect the vine from the toxic effects of soil contamination with lead and cadmium
• mycorrhizal fungi augment water uptake and transport to the host under drought conditions, enhance stomatal conductance and transpiration, and accelerate recovery from stress
• both root and mycorrhizal exudates appear to influence soil texture and the soil flora
• mycorrhizal associations also tend to reduce vine sensitivity to salinity and mineral toxicities

References:
1. . Ronald Jackson, Wine Science Third Edition, Elsevier, 2008, pg. 53-54.

Waiting for Flowering

By looking at our Vintage 2021: Annual Cycle of Growth Chart, we have had flowering in the vineyard from mid-June to early July. In his book Wine Science, Ronald Jackson says that "Flowering normally occurs within 8 weeks of bud break. The precise timing varies with weather conditions and cultivar characteristics."
So currently, the vineyard is between Eicchorn-Lorenz stages 18, which is 14 leaves separated, flower caps still in place but cap color fading from green and flowering which encompasses Eicchorn-Lorenz stages 19 to 26.
One June 1, I took these photos of our inflorescence:

Here is what a Barbera inflorscence looks like compared to my hand:

I hope to capture the process of flowering for all of the varieites. Meanwhile, shoot thinning details continues but we have a respite from the work today as it is raining!

Memorial Day Get Together

It's June! But in order to get here, we need to recap the Memorial Day weekend which set some records as the lowest high in some parts of our state. Not only that, the rains that came on Saturday and Sunday turned a dry May into a normal May in terms of rainfall!
We were invited to participate in an annual May birthdays get together at our friend's home on Saturday afternoon. As we left our home it was raining and the temperature was 49^o F! I thought about bringing my down jacket, it was that cold!
When we got to our friend's home, they had begun drinking Champagne, Shaman 16. When everyone had gathered, our host opened up a 1964 Francesco Rinaldi Barolo. The wine was ruby in color with not a sign of browning at the edges. The flavor was one that still evoked cherries with a smooth finish of tobacco. When we had enjoyed this vintage, our host opened up a 1970 Chateau Palmer. Chateau Palmer is one of my favorite wines and although the label had suffered a little, when I passed this bottle on our host's counter, I knew what it was. Like the 1964 Barolo, the 1970 Chateau Palmer was still very youthful tasting! Black cherries and raspberries danced along side the mushrooms and leather. We lingered over both bottles sampling as the wines evolved through time. Our host had prepared short ribs that was falling off the bone and we had all brought a dish to contribute. This was a slow grazing, conversation filled afternoon that turned into early evening in no time at all.
In contrast to the wines that were now 57 and 51 years old, the next wine, a 2004 Falletto Barolo, at 17 years old was decidedly youthful! The tannins and acidity were still there although there was a lot of red cherries, red raspberries and delicious fruit to balance the flavors. One person in attendance stated that she was more familiar with this flavor that those of the older wines, because how often do we get a chance to taste 50+ year old wines!
The host and I then had a conversation about the order of tasting wines. It recalled to mind the answer I gave to one of the questions in the U.C. Davis online course in Wine Stability: "An old wine will generally have mellowed out with respect to their tannins as well as their fruitiness, so an old wine should be tasted before a young wine. A young wine would probably be more tannic as well as more fruity and will overpower the old wine. When having a meal with friends, it is best to drink the old wine first so that all the subtle nuances of aging can be tasted before one becomes desensitized or too inebriated to appreciate the old wine because how often does one have the opportunity to do that! And if you have more than 6 friends sharing the bottle, it is best to get your share before the bottle is gone."
After we had drunk the red wines, our host opened our bottle of 2019 Chardonnay (although the label says 2017). We received compliments from the gathering which was nice. The grazing ended with ice cream and a Chateau Guiraud sauterne.

It was a wonderful way to spend a rainy, cold afternoon meeting new friends and getting to know them while imbibing some aged wines and grazing on a sumptuous repast.