Charles Smith Weekly Harvest Reports 2003

These reports are also printed weekly in the St. Helena Star.

They are listed with the most recent first.

Thirsty for more up-to-the-minute vineyard news? See the Smith Brothers' Annual Harvest Letter.

Monday, Oct 20, 2003

Last week's prediction that harvest on Spring Mt. soon would be over was not
quite accurate. It is true that a number of wineries are pretty much all in.
Reports show that Keenan, Schweiger, Sherwin, Smith-Madrone, Barnett, Stoney
Hill and Togni are done with picking. Some finished as recently as a week ago, others as much
as several weeks prior. A goodly portion of the reds are pressed off, while,
of course, most of the whites are still fermenting.

However, here and there, in a few stubborn blocks, some people are still
waiting on flavor development. Paloma, York Creek, Guilliams and Atchley have
small quantities of either Merlot, or Cabernet Sauvignon, or both, still
hanging. At Cain a little recalcitrant Petite Verdot remains and Terra Valentine
still has a substantial portion of Cabernet yet to be picked. The current
forecast is for warmer weather later in the week. For those who can wait, that
should be just what is required to bring this season's harvest to a conclusion.

Monday, Oct 13, 2003

On Spring Mt. the cool weather continues to stretch out the harvest. A few
more grapes have been picked during the past week, but not many.

While harvest is over for some people, there are still substantial, if
isolated, pockets of Cabernet waiting on sugar and flavor development - and here and
there even a little merlot, as well.

Shriveling in Cabernet can be a problem this time of year, but, at this
point, still seems to be within acceptable levels.

The very pleasant, mild weather is reflected in most everyone's calm,
positive outlook. Harvest is clearly winding down and may be over by the end of this
week. I strongly suspect that next week's report will be the last.

Monday, Oct 6, 2003

On Spring Mt., not much has changed since last week's report. While most of
the other reds are in, substantial pockets of Cabernet dot the landscape. The
cool weather continues to keep the harvest in check and almost everyone is
waiting on flavor development. If it wasn't picked by the previous week, then
it is still hanging out there.
Forecasts for moderate warming and then abrupt cooling may change the picture
by the end of the week as patience begins to wear thin and anxiety levels
rise.

Mon, 29 Sep 2003

Most people on Spring Mt. have picked a substantial portion of their grapes the last week or ten days. With the whites in the tank it is now red varieties all the way; principally Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon.

The earlier ripening Merlot and Cabernet from warmer exposures are off the vine, but with the cooling trend of the past several days there has been an abrupt slowdown. As of this writing we are having cold nights and cool, sunny days. Temperatures at the higher elevations are having a hard time hitting 70 and many have elected to let the remaining grapes - largely Cabernet - ripen up further.

So far the crop is smaller than last year, though variable from block to block; in some cases, lots of stems and not many grapes. On the quality side, things are beginning to look very promising.

Mon, 22 Sep 2003

By the time this reaches print, phase one of the harvest on Spring Mt. will be over and all the early ripening varieties will have been picked. Chardonnay, Pinot noir, Riesling etc. are in the tank and reports are of high sugars, high acids and light crops - in some cases, very light crops.

Everything is ripening at a very fast pace and the continuing warm weather is keeping everyone focused.The picking of the Bordeaux varieties will begin this week in earnest. Grapes in the warmer exposures will be coming off the vine earliest, of course, with the more shaded areas straggling behind, by a week or two.

It will be interesting to see if the trend started by the whites is matched by the reds.

Mon, 15 Sep 2003

The warm days last week have pushed sugars up significantly and by the time
this report is in print harvest will have begun on Spring Mt. Early ripening
varieties like Chardonnay, Pinot blanc and Riesling will be off the vine first
and that phase of harvest may well be over by the weekend.
It is also very possible that the Bordeaux varieties, mainly Cabernet
Sauvignon, Cab Franc and Merlot will be ready sooner than was expected, say six
weeks ago. Especially the latter. In years like this when the season is a little
late, there is a tendency, in warm weather, for the late varieties to catch
up. That appears to be happening. The ripening of all varieties seems to be
compressing into a relatively narrow time frame. With the forecast for more
warm weather this week, I expect that once harvest starts it will be fast and
short.

Regards,
Charles Smith
Winemaker, Smith-Madrone

Wed, 10 Sep 2003

My prediction in the last report that here on Spring Mt. pulses would start
accelerating this week turned out to be completely wrong. The thunder showers
last week, followed by an extended period of cooler weather, has slowed
ripening considerably. Everyone is in a very relaxed frame of mind. The picking
of Chardonnay probably won't start in earnest until mid-month and reports
from all over the mountain indicate that the Bordeaux varieties are still
several weeks away from being ready. It is still too soon to make positive
predictions about quality, but the early signs are very promising

Regards,
Charles Smith
Winemaker, Smith-Madrone

Thu, 4 Sep 2003

With the consistently warm weather of recent weeks finally starting to make
itself felt, folks on Spring Mt. are beginning to take the idea of harvest a
little more seriously. However, it hasn't started yet, nor will it, to any
significant degree, for another 10 days to two weeks. The exception being reports
of small quantities of early maturing varieties such as Chardonnay or
Sauvignon Blanc - new plantings and/or light crops - that may be ready a little
sooner. More established plantings of Pinot blanc, Pinot noir, and Chardonnay
will begin to be ready a few days to a week later. The majority of the Bordeaux
varieties - Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot et al. - are still a minimum of two to
three weeks away and, in the coolest blocks, probably further still. But the
steady weather has everyone cognizant of the tendency of late maturing
varieties to close the gap as sugars go up. The closer they get to harvest, the
faster they mature.
Next week could see a shift in what is still a pretty relaxed atmosphere.

Charles Smith
Winemaker, Smith-Madrone

Mon, 25 Aug 2003

The temperatures on Spring Mt. last week, as recorded by Marvin Atchley's
weather station, were a little warmer than most of us would have guessed: 5 days
in the 80's bracketed by 74 and a 91. This is pretty good weather for
grapevines, so ripening is moving along in a more or less orderly fashion. Most
Cabernet is finished with veraison, while there are consistent reports of Merlot
continuing to lag well behind.
The earlier ripening varieties, mainly Chardonnay, are just beginning to show
some sugar development, but not enough for anyone to have taken a field
sample yet. The beginning of harvest is still a ways off.

Charles Smith