KJ: I didn’t see the quality coming with the 2006 vintage. It was a really late vintage, almost a month, and everything went slowly. I think the July heat may have lowered the nutrient content in the must (unfermented or fermenting crushed grapes). The malolactic fermentations (conversion of stronger malic acid, found in apples, to weaker lactic acid, found in milk) went slowly as well. It was like a typical Pinot Noir vintage in Burgundy, where everything takes time to come around.

Now the wines have really rounded out and bulked up in barrel. The fruit is more to the red end of the spectrum than to the black.

AMR: The lateness of the year also may have prevented the vines from storing as many nutrients before dormancy. I’m noticing more yellowing on the leaf margins this spring than normal. We just plowed in a nice cover crop and some green … More…