Harvest Reports
2024
Thu, Sep 26th, 2024Last week’s cooler weather was much appreciated on Spring Mountain. The cooler weather allowed the grape flavors to catch up with the sugars and much-needed pressing and cellar work to get done. Harvest is still progressing but at a much slower pace. Tim Mosher at School House has finished harvest. Normally, their Syrah would be harvested as much as three weeks after their Chardonnay, but this year the Syrah was harvested only five days after their Chardonnay came in. This Monday Wes Steffens at 7 & 8 started his Cabernet Sauvignon and is very happy with what’s come in. Matt Gardner at Keenan is running on cruise control and will finish harvest this week with a block of Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc. Pam Bergman is about a third done with her harvest and is in a holding pattern with her Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc for the next week or so.
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2024
Wed, Sep 18th, 2024In general terms, harvest for the Spring Mountain District AVA has been going very well. The chemistry is still holding with good sugars, balanced acidities and lower pHs. Sugars are maybe a tad ahead of the flavors, which is why most are using the cool weather for additional hang times. Both Matt Gardner at Keenan and Smith-Madrone can see crossing the finish line next week. Sheldon Richards is about a third done and is also taking advantage of the cooler weather for more hang time and planned to restart harvest on Wednesday. Andy Schweiger has finished his Merlot and Cabernet Franc and is also taking advantage of the cooler weather for more hang time for his grapes and to get much-needed cellar work done. With his white grapes all in, Wes Steffens at 7 & 8 might harvest some red grapes by the end of this week. Frank Schaefer at York Creek Vineyards is chafing at the bit just to start picking grapes of any kind.
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2024
Wed, Sep 11th, 2024Clearly the pace of harvesting white grapes is picking up. Wes Steffens is very pleased with his Chardonnay, which has great chemistry and a larger crop than last year. Pam Bergman is also very pleased with her Chardonnay harvest with a slightly higher yield and wonderful flavors. Smith-Madrone will be finishing our Riesling by week’s end. Andy Schweiger is waiting just a little bit longer before starting his red grape harvest. Frank Schaefer of York Creek really likes the way his red grapes and clusters are looking, as well as a slightly larger crop than last year. David Tate at Barnett is looking to start some Merlot, Petit Verdot and Cabernet Franc. What is very clear is that the next several weeks will be extremely busy for Spring Mountain winegrowers.
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2024
Wed, Sep 4th, 2024Harvest has started on Spring Mountain. Matt Gardner at Keenan has almost finished their Chardonnay, and has harvested a small block of Cabernet Sauvignon. Andy Schweiger has harvested his Pinot Noir and a small block of Merlot. John Gantner at School House will harvest his Chardonnay this Wednesday and his Pinot Noir on Thursday. Smith-Madrone will finish Chardonnay on Wednesday and then move right into Riesling. Reid Griggs at Stony Hill reports that he’s super happy with his Chardonnay harvest and would be starting his Riesling harvest on Tuesday evening. Overall, the grape chemistry is fabulous with slightly higher sugars than normal, but with sky-high acids and very low pHs.
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2024
Thu, Aug 29th, 2024The cool temperature and that little bit of rain have slowed the beginning of harvest on Spring Mountain. Keenan and Smith-Madrone will be starting Chardonnay this week and the vines look good, the fruit looks excellent and early estimates are for a slightly larger crop on the mountain than last year. Andy Schweiger is waiting until next week to start, but feels that the fruit has great acids and good flavors and is shaping up to be a stellar vintage.
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2024
Wed, Aug 21st, 2024With cooler weather and a slight chance of rain by week’s end, the main activity on Spring Mountain is prepping for harvest. Cleaning, greasing, sanitizing and double-checking that all the equipment is operational and the supplies we need are at hand. Both Keenan and Smith-Madrone are hopeful that the Chardonnay harvest might begin next Tuesday, Aug. 27, or Wednesday, Aug. 28. The Chardonnay crop looks excellent with great acidity and nice developing flavors.
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2024
Thu, Aug 15th, 2024It looks to me that harvest on Spring Mountain is at least two-plus weeks away. This is based on our Chardonnay being on the bottom side of 20 degrees Brix. With two years of abundant rainfall stored in the soil, the vines weathered the hot spells amazingly well. Even our completely dry-farmed vines showed little stress. There seemed to be an overabundance of leaves this year, which required additional work to open up the canopies. The crop level with the Chardonnay looks very good as do the reds. So far, so good.
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2023
Wed, Nov 1st, 2023Harvest is coming to a close for most of the Spring Mountain District, but not all. Wes Steffens at 7 & 8 is pushing hard and hoping to finish late this week. Matt Sherwin at Sherwin Family Winery is in a similar state that he describes as 'being in the seventh-inning stretch.' Ron Rosenbrand at Spring Mountain Vineyard and Frank Schaefer at York Creek Vineyards are both pushing hard with harvesting and hoping for some warming so they don’t have to go too far into November before finishing. Those of us at higher elevation had a below-average crop for both the Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc. The berries were much smaller than normal and with shatter the crop took it hard. What we lost in tonnage we made up in wine quality. The color and flavors are great and point to an outstanding vintage.
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2023
Thu, Oct 26th, 2023Slightly over an inch of rain this last Sunday has given most of us a much-needed rest. Most of the Spring Mountain wineries that thought they’d been done last week are now thinking it will be this week that we will cross the finish line. Both Wes Steffens at 7&8 and Matt Sherwin at Sherwin Family Winery are both starting this week and also hoping to finish this week. Sheldon Richards at Paloma just finished and Andy Schweiger only has one day left. For most of Spring Mountain the Merlot crop was one of the best ever. Matt Gardner of Keenan and I agree that the Cabernet Sauvignon and the Cabernet Franc crop is coming in much lighter than average. Channeling the ghost of Bob Mondavi, there is total agreement that the 2023 vintage will be stunning. The color, flavors and chemistry are fabulous beyond words. It’s been a long growing season, more stressful than physical and many of us are looking for that end-of-season break.
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2023
Thu, Oct 19th, 2023All of the harvested fruit so far this year tastes great and looks beautiful; you might even say it’s a Chamber of Commerce picture-perfect harvest. All the white grapes are off the vines and by the end of this week or early next week, Schweiger, Keenan, School House, Stony Hill and Smith-Madrone will have finished harvest. The outlier is Spring Mountain Vineyard where Ron Rosenbrand isn’t expecting to finish until mid-November. He also is harvesting an above-average crop. Those of us at higher elevations have seen lower-than-normal crop sizes with our Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc and Merlot. The Cabernet Sauvignon fruit has especially small berries and loose clusters, which bodes well for the wine quality. The Cabernet Franc had tight clusters which were much shorter than normal.
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2023
Wed, Oct 11th, 2023The 2023 harvest is turning out to be quiet, an easy harvest in many ways, with no real heat spikes and no real rain issues. The grapes are quietly doing what they’re supposed to be doing, maturing on the vines while we winemakers anxiously hover over them with great consternation like it’s our first-born child. Wes Stephens at 7&8 will be harvesting Chardonnay this week and will then turn to his reds afterwards. Nancy Walker has finished both her School House Chardonnay and Pinot Noir and is waiting for the other reds to mature. Andy Schweiger is a third of the way through his harvest and is waiting for more flavor development. Sheldon Richards at Paloma is about halfway through harvest and is deciding what to harvest next. Ron Rosenbrand at Spring Mountain Vineyard has finished his whites and may start with some Merlot this week and thinks his Cabernet Franc is getting close. While still anxious, everyone is expecting 2023 to be an excellent vintage.
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2023
Wed, Oct 4th, 2023Harvest has finally gotten underway on Spring Mountain. Matt Gardner at Keenan has finished their Chardonnay and is 'chipping away' at some Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon. Andy Schweiger has started with some Chardonnay and Pinot Noir, and next may be Merlot. Nancy Walker at School House will start with their Chardonnay and will wait until next week to harvest their Pinot Noir. Ron Rosenbrand at Spring Mountain Vineyard has been picking Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc and is waiting to finish the white grapes. Smith-Madrone has finished all their white grapes and like everyone else will be waiting to see what this weather warm-up will do. The little rain was wonderful and washed all the vines clean of the summer’s dust. The chemistry of the grapes is fabulous with good sugars, low pHs and high acidities.
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2023
Wed, Sep 27th, 2023While there is some activity happening on Spring Mountain, harvest really hasn’t started. Ron Rosenbrand at Spring Mountain Vineyard has picked half his Sauvignon Blanc. Smith-Madrone picked some Chardonnay last Friday and we’re hoping to restart again this week, weather permitting. Contrast this with two years ago (2021) this week, when most of the Spring Mountain wineries were finishing harvest. Undaunted, we’re all still anticipating an excellent harvest this year. The vines are holding up wonderfully and the fruit is coming into balance with excellent flavors. We are anticipating a very active October.
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2023
Thu, Sep 21st, 2023With the exception of Matt Gardner at Keenan picking Chardonnay, it’s all quiet on Spring Mountain. Last week many of us were hoping we’d be harvesting by last Friday, Sept. 15, but Mother Nature had other ideas. While the cool weather is wonderful for most of us, our grapes want and need more sunshine and warmth. Most of us are now hoping to start by the end of this current week, Friday, Sept. 22 — but that’s exactly what I said last week. Hope springs eternal.
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2023
Wed, Sep 13th, 2023We’re pretty much into a Goldilocks weather pattern where it’s not too hot and it’s not too cool — it’s just right. And with this weather, harvest may start soon on Spring Mountain. Matt Gardner at Keenan, Michaela Kelly at Stony Hill, Nancy Walker at School House and Smith-Madrone are all expecting to start the Chardonnay harvest later this week or the first of next week. All agree that there is a good crop of Chardonnay and the vines are holding up well. Ron Rosenbrand is still waiting for more flavor in his Sauvignon Blanc before he starts. Wes Steffens reminds us that the excellent 2019 harvest had a similar late start with cool weather and clearly that vintage portends optimism for this harvest.
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2023
Wed, Sep 6th, 2023The 2023 vintage seems to be joining many of the past vintages for being another strange year. There are few if any blocks on Spring Mountain that have finished veraison, let alone mature enough to even think about harvesting. Spring Mountain Vineyard is still waiting for their Sauvignon Blanc to flavor up. Andy Schweiger’s Pinot Noir is also in a holding pattern. Not until this coming weekend will we see some much-needed warmth for our grapes. While many of us thought we might start harvest on the mountain by mid-September, that’s starting to look doubtful. Additionally, many of us are feeling harvest may go very late into the fall’s cool weather and that has us very concerned.
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2023
Thu, Aug 31st, 2023We’re inching ever forward with harvest. Veraison is advancing as it should, with clusters having fuller deep red color, and the berries are beginning to soften. However we are still far from completing veraison. While the Cabernet Franc is starting to show some light pink color, our attention has been distracted by a black bear who is roaming the neighborhood and helping itself to the local apples and doesn’t seem to mind munching on our unripe grapes.
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2023
Wed, Aug 23rd, 2023The consensus of Matt Gardner at Keenan, Ron Rosenbrand at Spring Mountain Vineyard, Andy Schweiger at Schweiger Vineyards and myself is that harvest will start about three weeks later than normal. We’re all looking at starting about the end of the second week in September. There’s no veraison in the Cabernet Franc, 30% in the Cabernet Sauvignon and the Chardonnay is maybe 60% through. Unfortunately, that exceptionally foggy June gloom has resulted in Chardonnay with lots of chicks and hens (high variation in berry size). The berries of the red varietals seem smaller than usual, which is good for quality, and with the loose clusters the reds will be able to take several Hilary-like storms with no problems.
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2022
Thu, Oct 6th, 2022The frantic tempo that preceded and continued during the hot spell has slowed to match the great weather. Many of the Spring Mountain District wineries who thought they’d be finished now are merrily harvesting when the time seems just right. Most, but not all, will be finished by this week’s end. There is a group who seems to always finish toward the end and these are Spring Mountain Vineyard, York Creek Vineyards, Pride and Sherwin, and this year will be no different. Similar to the 2021 vintage, the vines have once again been heroic. They held tough through one of the worst droughts in history, they held tough through the worst heat spell in history and they are giving us beautiful wines with deep red colors, soft tannins and wonderful flavors. This may be the year that reaffirms the old proverb that the vines must struggle to produce grapes that will make great wine.
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2022
Wed, Sep 28th, 2022The rain scrubbed away all that dust, and with moderate temperatures it’s a Chamber of Commerce picture-perfect harvest. Everyone on Spring Mountain will be harvesting their reds this week. The waiting is over. As Wes Steffens at 7 & 8 said, 'It’s game on this week.' Ron Rosenbrand at Spring Mountain Vineyard and Frank Schaefer at York Creek Vineyards won’t finish until mid-October and David Tate at Barnett will finish just a little earlier. Overall, the Merlot crop seems down, the Cabernet Sauvignon is slightly below normal and the Cabernet Franc is slightly above normal. Despite the hot spell everyone is very happy with what they’re tasting.
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2022
Tue, Sep 20th, 2022What a difference one week makes. The extreme heat backed off and hardly a week later the Spring Mountain District vineyards are drenched with several inches of welcome rain. Most of the Spring Mountain wineries still have a substantial amount of red grapes remaining to be harvested. It’s unusual to have the Spring Mountain wineries in unison, but this week we have it. The rain is giving all of us a much-needed break, it’s also giving us the opportunity to create some much-needed tank space and to allow the winemakers to fine-tune their picking schedules to harvest the grapes at perfect levels of maturity.
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2022
Wed, Sep 14th, 2022Most on Spring Mountain waited out the heat spell and are just now starting to harvest their reds. Frank Schaeffer at York Creek Vineyards says, 'The fruit looks great.' Matt Sherwin says, 'The fruit is maturing nicely.' Matt will also wait another week or so before starting his reds. Frank and Wes Steffens of Vineyard 7&8 will start later this week, Andy Schweiger of Schweiger Vineyards is starting his Merlot on Tuesday and will move into his Cabernet Sauvignon by week’s end. David Tate at Barnett Vineyards will start harvesting Petit Verdot, Merlot and Cabernet Franc on Tuesday. Matt Gardner at Keenan started picking his Cabernet Franc on Monday and will finish his harvest with the last of his Cabernet Sauvignon by week’s end. Similar to Keenan. Smith-Madrone is picking Cabernet Franc and finishing their harvest on Wednesday with their Cabernet Sauvignon. However, Lisa Togni of Philip Togni Vineyard has the honor of being the first winery on Spring Mountain to finish their harvest late last week.
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2022
Wed, Sep 7th, 2022Stu's report for the Spring Mountain District on September 7, 2022:
"The extended heat is clearly the center of all our discussions and decision-making. The vines are doing remarkably well. We even have dry-farmed vineyards with growing shoots. Do we pick or do we wait out the heat spell? Matt Gardner at Keenan Winery has brought in a lightly cropped block of Merlot, but is waiting for more maturity for their Cabernet Sauvignon. Smith-Madrone has brought in some Cabernet Sauvignon, but is waiting for more maturity from their Merlot. Nancy Walker says they’re waiting several weeks before harvesting their Grenache, Zinfandel and Syrah. Andy Schweiger is also waiting several more days for more maturity. Clearly, the consensus is to wait for more maturity."
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2022
Wed, Aug 31st, 2022The 2022 harvest is starting out very similar to the 2021 harvest with Bergman Family Winery, Keenan, Schweiger, Smith-Madrone, Spring Mountain Vineyard and Stony Hill all finishing their whites by Sept. 2. The Schweigers will also have finished their Pinot Noir. Unfortunately, nature has thrown some curve balls at us. Those rains in late April and early May that were so welcomed by the vines caused serious set problems, resulting in very short crops of Chardonnay, Riesling and some Zinfandel. There is good consensus that the Cabernet Sauvignon crop looks uniformly terrific with good even color, good normal-sized bunches and a slightly larger crop than normal.
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2021
Thu, Oct 14th, 2021Just three wineries are still harvesting on the mountain and none seem to be in any hurry to finish. Matt Sherwin reports that they’re about two-thirds done, but are holding out for some warmer weather and likely won’t finish until early next week. Ron Rosenbrand at Spring Mountain Vineyard is now steadily harvesting and is very pleased with the quality but not so happy with the low tonnage; he will likely finish sometime late next week. At York Creek Vineyards Frank Schaefer reports that he is just over half done and couldn’t be happier with their 'excellent bumper crop that’s looking just incredible with just a few shot berries.' Frank continues, 'After last year, it’s like a miracle, it’s just an incredible harvest and vintage.
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2021
Tue, Oct 5th, 2021Wes Steffens at 7&8 is still picking some small blocks of Cabernet and will probably finish later this week. He’s really pleased with the quality. Nancy Walker from Schoolhouse reports that they’re finished and while the crop was much lighter, she is grateful the quality is so wonderful. Ron Rosenbrand at Spring Mountain Vineyard reports that they have been waiting for their vines to mature and re-started harvesting last week. They’ll be going strong for several weeks and so far the vines look good and they’re happy with the quality. Frank Schaefer next door at York Creek Vineyards reports also that their grapes are coming in looking good, with good flavors and a good crop. Matt Sherwin reports that Sherwin has finished with Merlot, is 15% through with their Cabernet and hasn’t started with Cab Franc yet: he’s also happy with the quality. Pam Bergman at Bergman Family Vineyards has one more overnight harvesting session to go and she’s really happy with the quality: the berries are small with an excellent concentration of flavors.
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2021
Tue, Sep 28th, 2021Given Spring Mountain’s varied soils, exposures and elevation differences it shouldn’t be surprising that harvest dates are just as varied. Harvest is wrapping up for many, or even most wineries on Spring Mountain, but some have yet to begin. Sherwin has yet to start; Marston Vineyards will start this week and Spring Mountain Vineyard and York Creek Vineyards will continue harvesting well into October. What is similar so far throughout the Spring Mountain District harvest is the optimism for a very good vintage. The grapes with good sugars, small berries and low yields produced juice with exceptional flavors and very dark colors.
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2021
Thu, Sep 23rd, 2021The Spring Mountain District continues its individualism with the 2021 vintage. Frank Schaefer at York Creek Vineyards says 'it’s looking great' with a bumper crop, especially with their Zinfandel and Petite Sirah 'much higher than the 2019 vintage.' Yet many of us with Merlot and/or Cabernet Sauvignon are harvesting much smaller crops than normal. However, David Tate at Barnett brushes off the short crop because he is ecstatic about the quality and color extraction from the unusually small berries and low juice yields which we are all seeing. To the marketing dudes and dudettes, take notice of the short crop. Laura at Newton reports that they’ve finished their Chardonnay and are now moving into their reds. Continuing with this one-size-fits-none vibe, Ron Rosenbrand reports that Spring Mountain Vineyard is still waiting for their grapes to ripen, and yet Keenan, Schweiger and Smith-Madrone will finish this week."
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2021
Thu, Sep 16th, 2021We’re all grateful that last week’s storm brought enough rain to wash the dust off our vines and give us a beautiful day to lighten our spirits and that it did not give us what we feared most. Similar to last year at this time, Spring Mountain District wineries are dealing with harvest in a very dissimilar fashion. School House has now finished their Chardonnay, yet Wes Steffens at 7&8 is only starting his Chardonnay this week. Keenan and Smith-Madrone were very busy last week yet Spring Mountain Vineyard and Schweiger were quiet. Most all of us are pushing hard this week, even Cabernet Franc is being harvested by Paloma, yet School House is waiting for their mixed reds, Zinfandel and Grenache to ripen. Ritchie Creek Vineyards has just finished their Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon and will be the first on the Mountain to finish the 2021 harvest.
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2021
Tue, Sep 7th, 2021Keenan, Schweiger, Spring Mountain Vineyard and Smith-Madrone all finished their Chardonnay last week and the fruit was a stunningly beautiful green color with good maturity and excellent chemistry. There’s been a scattering of reds harvested with Schweiger having harvested small amounts of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Malbec. Both Keenan and Schweiger expect to pick large amounts of their Cabernet this week, while most other wineries are holding back for a little more maturity. The vines are holding up very well, but we’re starting to see some yellowing of the basal leaves. Harvest on the Mountain seems to be progressing very nicely so far.
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2021
Tue, Aug 31st, 2021Stony Hill has finished their Chardonnay and will finish their Riesling this week. Smith-Madrone will also finish their Chardonnay and then gets a short break before getting after their Riesling. Andy Schweiger is super pleased with their Pinot Noir harvest. Matt Gardner at Keenan is also going after their Chardonnay this week, but his Cabernet and Zinfandel aren’t that far back. At Spring Mountain Vineyard Ron Rosenbrand has finished his Sauvignon Blanc and will take a good look at starting Chardonnay this week. Early indications are that juice yields across the board are below average, which bodes well for a very good vintage.
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2021
Tue, Aug 24th, 2021Despite all that mother nature is throwing at us this year, our vines are holding up amazingly well. The vines stopped growing earlier than normal and moved from a vegetative growth cycle into their ripening cycle. As is usual on Spring Mountain the crop levels vary by block and variety with Chardonnay, Cabernet Franc and Merlot in the normal-plus range yet the Cabernet Sauvignon appears to be below normal. Last week Keenan started harvest on the Mountain with a small amount of Rosé. This weekend Spring Mountain Vineyard will start with their Sauvignon Blanc and Schweiger Vineyards will start with their Pinot Noir.
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2020
Thu, Sep 24th, 2020Unlike last week where everyone was harvesting one varietal or another, this week is decidedly quieter with many wineries waiting for more fruit development. Several of us are picking Cabernet Sauvignon this week but with this cooler weather there’s little urgency. Yellowing of the basal leaves has definitely arrived signaling the beginning of fall. Overall, everyone on Spring Mountain is pleased with the super clean fruit and the fermentations are showing very good color with clean sensory evaluations for smoke.
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2020
Tue, Sep 15th, 2020Stu's report on harvest in the Spring Mountain District this week:
Spring Mountain District wineries often remind me of Thoreau’s 'If a man does not keep pace with his companions, perhaps it is because he hears a different drummer.' Ron Rosenbrand of Spring Mountain Vineyard will finish Sauvignon Blanc this week and then wait for the reds. Nancy Walker at School House is picking Grenache, Syrah and a field blend mainly of Zinfandel. Sheldon Richards of Paloma is finishing Merlot and will be moving into Cabernet soon. Andy Schweiger just finished Chardonnay and may start Merlot later this week. Francois Bugue of Cain is finishing Merlot and Malbec and is now picking a little Cabernet. Matt Gardner of Keenan is also finishing Merlot, will be going to Cabernet next and plans to finish harvest sometime next week. 'Let him step to the music he hears, however measured or far away,' as Thoreau said.
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2020
Tue, Sep 8th, 2020Stu's report on harvest in the Spring Mountain District this week:
Despite the heat and smoke there’s a fair amount of activity on the Mountain. Andy Schweiger brought in some ‘beautiful’ Pinot Noir fruit last Friday and is waiting for a little more flavor development on their Chardonnay. Matt Gardner at Keenan finished Chardonnay with a smaller crop than last year, and picked some of their usual early blocks of Merlot, Cabernet and Zinfandel on Monday and Tuesday. Matt said the canopies and fruit are holding up ‘really well.’ At Smith-Madrone we finished our Chardonnay and Riesling this past week with a larger crop than last year. We also agree that the vines and fruit are handling this Labor Day heat spell very well.
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2020
Wed, Sep 2nd, 2020Stu's report on harvest in the Spring Mountain District the week of September 1:
It’s not been all quiet on the Mountain. Stony Hill has finished with their Chardonnay and Gewürztraminer. School House also finished their Chardonnay and Pinot Noir and Smith-Madrone is waiting until they can finish their Chardonnay. Cain Cellars has picked a small block each of Merlot and Malbec. Keenan, Schweiger and Spring Mountain Vineyard are looking to start later this week or very early next week. Grape quality is looking excellent; however, crop levels are all over the board and range from half of last year to larger than normal. We’ve all got our fingers crossed the air will clear and the smoke will not be an issue.
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2020
Wed, Aug 26th, 2020Stu compiles harvest news for the Spring Mountain District each week which appears in The St. Helena Star:
August 26, 2020
Despite the heat, rolling blackouts, lightning, fires and now smoke, the vines are holding up much better than most of us are. Only those vines nearest the forests are showing real stress. Crop levels appear below normal, especially with Cabernet Sauvignon. Stony Hill has already harvested some Chardonnay and may harvest Gewürztraminer later this week. Keenan, Schweiger and Smith-Madrone are looking to start their Chardonnay later this week or early next week. Schweiger may also start their Pinot Noir this week.
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2019
Tue, Oct 22nd, 2019The Spring Mountain District AVA harvest has finished for several wineries and is winding down for most. Yet several wineries including Pride, Sherwin and Spring Mountain Vineyards, will harvest into November. Wendy at Pride says this will be a ‘great week’ for harvesting her Cabernet blocks and Donna at Sherwin says they’ll be starting their Cabernet this week. The most common comments about the vintage are that there are excellent flavors at lower sugars this year, there is tremendous color extraction, the chemistry ratio between acid and pHs was excellent and the Cabernets are very well balanced. Francois at Cain Cellars sums it up best by calling 2019 a ‘stunning vintage.’”
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2019
Thu, Oct 17th, 2019Mother Nature is still providing near-perfect weather for those still harvesting on Spring Mountain, which is most, but not all. Keenan, School House, Smith-Madrone, Togni have finished harvest. For those of you that don’t work at a winery, please remember that ‘crush’ will continue many weeks after the last grape is harvested with pump-overs, punch-downs, pressing and barreling down and then finally clean-up.
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2019
Thu, Oct 10th, 2019Mother Nature simply couldn’t provide more perfect weather than what we’ve been having these last several weeks. Cool nights followed by bright clear days in the mid-70s for highs. These modest temperatures have not been stopping grape maturity at all. As we harvest the reds, many of us have been seeing much more second crop than in years past. If there is one commonality in the Spring Mountain AVA it is that there is no commonality. School House has finished, Keenan, Cain and Smith-Madrone are charging toward the finish line, while Stony Hill, Paloma and 7 & 8 are still waiting to start with their reds and Sherwin has just barely scratched the surface with their reds. Schweiger Vineyards are seeing larger than normal yields, while many others are seeing 10 to 20 percent declines from last year’s harvest.
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2019
Thu, Oct 3rd, 2019Harvest has truly arrived on Spring Mountain. The very cool weather is a relief to all of us and is not hindering an active harvest on our mountain. Matt Gardner at Keenan is harvesting Merlot, Cabernet Franc and even some Cabernet Sauvignon. Chris Howell at Cain Cellars is going strong after his Merlot and Malbec. Sally Johnson at Pride is starting both her Viognier and Sangiovese. Andy Schweiger of Schweiger Vineyards just finished his Chardonnay and is now picking Malbec, Cabernet Franc and Cabernet Sauvignon. Wes Steffens of 7 & 8 will finish his Chardonnay and will take a break before starting his reds. Ron Rosenbrand of Spring Mountain Vineyard will start with his reds mid-week and will likely plow right on for some time.
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2019
Wed, Sep 25th, 2019The Spring Mountain AVA is inching forward with harvest. We’re all seeing the beginning of the leaves yellowing which is a good indication that the vines are recognizing that fall is here and their need to seriously get on with their jobs of ripening their fruit. Sarah McCrea reports the Stony Hill has finished with their whites and brought in a small block of Syrah. Chris Howell of Cain Cellars has done some lots of Merlot and Malbec. Sally Johnson at Pride has finished with the whites and harvested first crops off of Syrah and Grenach. Andy Schweigher at Schweiger Vineyards has started some Merlot and expects to harvest Chardonnay and along with some Cabernet Franc, Malbec and Cabernet Sauvignon in the next few days.
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2019
Sun, Sep 22nd, 2019It’s still very quiet on the Mountain, but the short heat spell last week did prompt an uptick in action with Keenan and Stony Hill harvesting Chardonnay, Smith-Madrone bringing in Riesling and Stony Hill finishing its Gewürztraminer. Keenan, Stony Hill and Smith-Madrone all hope to finish their Chardonnay this week. Schweiger, 7 & 8 and Pride are still waiting on their Chardonnay. Keenan did a small lot of Zinfandel. We’ve all enjoyed a return to the more normal slower pace of this year’s harvest as opposed to the frenetic action of the drought years.
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2019
Thu, Sep 19th, 2019It’s still very quiet on the Mountain, but the short heat spell last week did prompt an uptick in action with Keenan and Stony Hill harvesting Chardonnay, Smith-Madrone bringing in Riesling and Stony Hill finishing its Gewürztraminer. Keenan, Stony Hill and Smith-Madrone all hope to finish their Chardonnay this week. Schweiger, 7 & 8 and Pride are still waiting on their Chardonnay. Keenan did a small lot of Zinfandel. We’ve all enjoyed a return to the more normal slower pace of this year’s harvest as opposed to the frenetic action of the drought years.
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2019
Thu, Sep 12th, 2019The cooler weather over the past weekend and the early part of this week has definitively given our mountain the ‘slows.’ Spring Mountain Vineyard has finished their small amounts of Sauvignon Blanc and Semillon and both Stony Hill and Smith-Madrone have harvested small lots of Chardonnay. We’re all pleased with the fruit and it portends an excellent vintage. Now everyone is waiting. With the exception of 2011 this is the latest start for Smith-Madrone for the last 15 years.
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2019
Thu, Sep 5th, 2019Similar to last year on this date, the mountain is finally finishing veraison for the reds. Spring Mountain Vineyard will start this week with some Sauvignon Blanc, and Smith-Madrone will start with some Chardonnay. Ed Ewing at York Creek is several weeks off for any reds and is seeing a slightly larger crop than last year. Most everyone is still seeing growing tips on the vines, thus it seems the vines are not in a big hurry to ripen their fruit.
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2019
Thu, Aug 29th, 2019Our mountain is finishing up veraison for the reds which is quite similar to last year and 2012 and 2013. Ron Rosenbrand of Spring Mountain Winery may start with Sauvignon Blanc just after the Labor Day weekend. After talking with Matt Gardner at Keenan, Chris Howell at Cain Cellars and Sheldon Richards at Paloma, there’s fairly good consensus we’re running about 10 days to two weeks later than normal. We’ve all had to fight tremendous vine growth because of the high rainfall and those 5-6 inches of rain in May germinated every weed seed in existence. The Chardonnay crop is clearly up, Zinfandel is down and while the rest look good, it appears this crop will be smaller than last year’s.
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2018
Wed, Oct 24th, 2018A fabulous harvest on the mountain is coming to an end with most of the wineries finishing last week or early this week. As usual, Spring Mountain Vineyard, York Creek, Pride Mountain Vineyards and Sherwin Family Vineyards will push up to or slightly into November before they start their clean-up for the year. It’s been a dream harvest with perfect weather, small berries, great flavors, a heavy crop and little stress. The vines held up really well this year. David Tate of Barnett Vineyards said it best: “It’s been one of the best years we’ve ever had.”
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2018
Thu, Oct 18th, 2018It was a welcome relief for the mountain to receive one and a half inches of rain. It settled the dust and scrubbed the fall landscape to a sparkling patina. It also gave a nice respite to the vineyard workers and gave the winemakers the needed time to press out some tanks. ‘I loved the rain,’ is how Andy Schweiger put it. Matt Gardner of Keenan says he’ll finish this week and is especially pleased with the vintage. Spring Mountain and Cain Vineyard & Winery are both picking right along. Schweiger has finished Cabernet Franc and Merlot and should start Cab this week. Late this week Paloma will re-start on Cabernet Sauvignon and Sherwin may begin with Merlot. While both Pride and Barnett have dipped a toe into the reds, they’re still in a holding pattern.
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2018
Thu, Oct 11th, 2018It was a welcome relief for the mountain to receive one and a half inches of rain. It settled the dust and scrubbed the fall landscape to a sparkling patina. It also gave a nice respite to the vineyard workers and gave the winemakers the needed time to press out some tanks. ‘I loved the rain,’ is how Andy Schweiger put it. Matt Gardner of Keenan says he’ll finish this week and is especially pleased with the vintage. Spring Mountain and Cain Vineyard & Winery are both picking right along. Schweiger has finished Cabernet Franc and Merlot and should start Cab this week. Late this week Paloma will re-start on Cabernet Sauvignon and Sherwin may begin with Merlot. While both Pride and Barnett have dipped a toe into the reds, they’re still in a holding pattern.
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2018
Thu, Oct 4th, 2018As in most things on Spring Mountain we all pull on the oars to a different drumbeat. Togni and Smith-Madrone have finished harvesting grapes, with Keenan closing in. Pride and 7 & 8 will finish their whites this week and then go into a holding pattern for the reds, as are Schweiger and Stony Hill. Spring Mountain and Cain are actively picking reds. Sherwin and Paloma, producers of only reds, have yet to start. So far the chemistry of high acidity, low pHs and moderately high sugars are offering some great-tasting fruit. This is a harvest that reminds me of an old saying I learned long ago: 'Big harvests get bigger and little harvests get littler.' Clearly this is a harvest that’s getting bigger.
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2018
Mon, Sep 24th, 2018Harvest on Spring Mountain is starting in earnest. Matt Gardner of Keenan Winery is picking a little bit of Cabernet, Merlot and Cabernet Franc and expects to continue into early next week. Matt reports fabulous fruit and higher than normal tonnage. Smith-Madrone has finished Merlot and is currently picking Cabernet and like Keenan will be picking into next week. Chris Howell of Cain Cellars is just getting going with Merlot and Malbec and also expects to continue harvesting other reds. And as is customary on our mountain, other wineries are picking a block here or there while a few other wineries have yet to pick anything.
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2018
Thu, Sep 20th, 2018More cool weather gives the grapes additional hang-time and additional time for us to recheck that all is ready to harvest and crush those red grapes. Those of us that grow white grapes are either finished or are about to finish later this week or early next week. It also gives us a nice break before starting the reds.
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2018
Thu, Sep 13th, 2018With this perfect weather harvest is advancing, but is still very slow. Spring Mountain Vineyard and Smith-Madrone have finished with their white grapes and are extremely pleased. Both wineries had slightly larger crops than last year, with good low pHs and excellent flavors. Keenan, Schweiger and Pride are waiting until at least next week to start their whites. This week Keenan will pick a small block of Zinfandel and Schweiger will pick a small block of Merlot.
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2018
Thu, Sep 6th, 2018With warming weather Stony Hill will start harvesting Chardonnay later this week or early next week. 'I’m excited; the 2018 vintage is looking good,' is how Mike Chelini of Stony Hill sizes up the upcoming harvest. 'We’re lucky being in the Napa Valley with our great weather especially compared to Europe,' he adds. Starting his 47th harvest at Stony Hill, Mike remembers only two especially difficult vintages. In 1972, as the new Stony Hill vineyard manager, Mike managed a crew of one – himself. He pruned and managed the vineyard entirely by himself. Two years later Fred and Eleanor McCrea asked Mike to also be their winemaker and it became a friendship which lasted for the rest of their lives. It’s an end of an era: with the change of ownership this will be Mike’s last vintage at Stony Hill.
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2018
Thu, Aug 30th, 2018Most of the red grapes on the mountain still have not finished veraison and it will be another week or two before anyone begins harvesting the whites. Both Ron Rosenbrand at Spring Mountain and Matt Gardner at Keenan are very pleased with the way the vines are looking with strong, robust and healthy canopies. Even after hedging back, many of the vines still have growing tips, which is a very good indication of ample soil moisture.
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2018
Thu, Aug 23rd, 2018Harvest for white grapes will likely start the first week of September, which is as close to ‘normal’ as we’ve had for some time. Most of the reds have not finished veraison with Cabernet Franc being only 50 percent complete. Overall, there’s a great deal of optimism for the vintage. The vines are looking very good with a slightly larger than normal crop with small berries and just a few basal leaves yellowing. The warm weather of July and early August is behind us and the forecast for the next several weeks is for seasonal averages. A wonderful portent of the harvest is the mountain’s new resident, Ursus americanus. He’s been seen both near Stony Hill and Cain Cellars and left a rather large 9x6-inch track at Smith-Madrone.
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2017
Mon, Oct 16th, 2017After the Labor Day hot spell, it seemed that harvest couldn’t get any more challenging. Wrong! The Spring Mountain District has been extremely fortunate to have escaped the fires and most of the smoke but no power, no internet, no cell service, no access and no information have stressed everyone to the max. Yet harvest continues and will continue for at least another week or more, mostly with Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc. As usual, everyone is doing their very best to make the best wine possible.
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2017
Tue, Oct 3rd, 2017The warmer weather has spurred even more harvesting than last week, but there’s no particular hurry. Most are finishing up with merlot and picking Cabernet Sauvignon. There’s some talk about finishing up around the middle of the month and others might see some Cabernet franc go until the end of the month. The pHs seem to be rising and the grapes are being very stingy in giving up their normal amount of juice.
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2017
Wed, Sep 27th, 2017The warmer weather has spurred more harvesting on Spring Mountain, but not by much. Many of us are picking some cabernet and merlot, yet others are waiting until next week. Mike Chelini at Stony Hill thinks he’ll be finishing up harvest on Friday with his cabernet sauvignon. Mike is pleased that the crop is larger than last year and that it has great chemistry and great flavors – ‘I like the vintage a lot.’
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2017
Wed, Sep 20th, 2017Continued cool weather is putting smiles on all of us. This no need to rush picking is creating a lovely no-stress harvest. “Not doing much” is how Ron Rosenbrand of Spring Mountain Winery summed up this week. Andy Schweiger added that they’re “taking our time” and picking a little Cabernet as it reaches perfection. Cain is doing the same with some picking of Merlot and maybe some Cabernet Sauvignon by week’s end. Most other wineries like Paloma, 7&8 and Stony Hill will likely not get serious about the reds until next week.
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2017
Tue, Sep 12th, 2017Activity on Spring Mountain has slowed down. The last of the whites are being crushed now and many of us are trying a few loads of reds. With the cool weather forecast for this week most of us are anticipating next week as the real beginning of the red wine harvest. Personally, the heat spike hurt us quite badly in several blocks, but we seem to be the exception, which is good for the mountain.
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2017
Thu, Sep 7th, 2017The good news is that most wineries with white grapes are picking and several are close to finishing. The chemistry of the whites is fabulous with great pHs and TAs. Unfortunately, the heat spell didn’t help much. Some of the weaker red vines with exposed fruit have some shriveling. These high temperatures are reminiscent of both the 1980 and 1984 vintages which similarly had high daytime and high nighttime temperatures. Fortunately, these were both excellent vintages.
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2017
Thu, Aug 31st, 2017Harvest has begun on Spring Mountain with Spring Mountain winery harvesting small quantities of sauvignon blanc, chardonnay and pinot noir. Both Stony Hill and Smith-Madrone are pushing hard into their chardonnay blocks. Clearly the warm weather has advanced harvesting, yet rain showers and low clouds in late May played mischief with set on certain high elevation blocks during bloom that resulted in small berries and below average production. Fortunately, the chemistry and flavors indicate an excellent vintage.
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2016
Thu, Oct 13th, 2016Great vintage,’ ‘looking really good,’ ‘very happy with the fruit,’ ‘spectacular’ and ‘what an easy harvest’ are many of the comments describing the 2016 harvest. Clearly the crop was up from 2015 and even a few wineries were at traditional averages for their merlot and/or cabernet sauvignon. Spring Mountain Winery, Pride, York Creek and maybe both Paloma and Sherwin will have some fruit that will weather upcoming rain.
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2016
Thu, Oct 6th, 2016The tiny rainfall on Sunday and Monday settled the dust and was a pleasant relief, yet with many of the Spring Mountain wineries continuing their fast pace of picking. This little rain respite is allowing them to catch up with some sugars that took a little jump with last week’s heat spike. Depending on exposure, slope and/or tree shading, other wineries are holding out for more hang time and maturity. Fortunately, pHs are holding up well, tank space isn’t a problem and everyone harvesting is thrilled with the great flavors. By the middle of next week, a majority of the wineries should be finished with harvest.
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2016
Thu, Sep 29th, 2016Our mountain continues with its eclectic way of life with some wineries having finished, while others have yet to start. Keenan, Smith-Madrone, Stony Hill and Togni have all finished. Cain and Spring Mountain, after a short break, both are hard charging with cabernet sauvignon, cabernet franc and petit verdot. While Schweiger is almost finished, and both Paloma and 7 & 8 have both barely started they all are waiting for cooler weather to return for more hang time before re-starting. Kieu Hoang and Sherwin are waiting for the same reasons before they even begin their harvests. There is unanimity that the fruit is beautiful with great flavors and good acid and pH.
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2016
Wed, Sep 21st, 2016This week has been much more active than the past several weeks. Most of the wineries are very active finishing up their whites or harvesting the spectrum of reds with merlot, cabernet sauvignon or even cabernet franc. It appears that the spring showers, elevation and maybe just plain old chance has created another vintage on the mountain with a goodly amount of diversity. For some, the merlot crop is back up to normal, yet for others it’s certainly larger than 2014 but nowhere near normal.
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2016
Wed, Sep 14th, 2016This week seems very similar to last week. Moderate to cooler weather with sporadic picking across various varieties. School House and Spring Mountain finished their pinot noir and chardonnay last week, along with Stony Hill finishing both their chardonnay and riesling. Keenan also finished their chardonnay last week and along with Cain are both going strong this week with their merlot and some small outlier blocks of cabernet sauvignon. Schweiger, 7 & 8 and Pride are still waiting to start their chardonnay.
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2016
Thu, Sep 8th, 2016With last week’s continued moderate weather there was only scattered harvesting. Stony Hill finished their gewürztraminer and Smith-Madrone finished both their chardonnay and riesling. Both wineries found beautiful fruit, great flavors and fabulous chemistry along with higher tonnages than in 2015, yet still not up to an average crop year. This week’s pace will definitely pick up with Keenan getting after their chardonnay, Stony Hill likely finishing their chardonnay, and Spring Mountain Winery going hard for both their chardonnay and pinot noir. Schweiger may start by the end of this week.
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2016
Thu, Sep 1st, 2016With last week’s cool weather and the next 10 days forecast for the same cool weather, it’s pretty quiet on the mountain. Spring Mountain Winery has finished sauvignon blanc and is starting pinot noir. Smith-Madrone did a block of chardonnay on Saturday and was very pleased with the quality, but now we’re waiting for a little more maturity from the other blocks. Stony Hill will start this week with some chardonnay, yet Keenan, Schweiger and Pride are thinking at least another week for their chardonnay.
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2016
Thu, Aug 25th, 2016Spring Mountain Winery is the first to start on the mountain. They’ve harvested some sauvignon blanc, pinot noir and chardonnay. Stony Hill and Smith-Madrone will likely start toward the end of this week, with Keenan, Schweiger and Pride Mountain still some ways off for chardonnay. Early trends seem to be a very good merlot crop, a below average crop for cabernet sauvignon and a longer than normal veraison for reds.
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2015
Wed, Sep 30th, 2015Most, but not all of us have finished. Vineyard 7 & 8 will be hard at it this week and next. York Creek and Pride still have several weeks to go. The early bud push, drought, and recurring heat with low humidity have been very hard on our vines and it shows. Because of the very small crop, picking costs have been exorbitant. It's not been any easier on those of us who tend the vines or make the wine. Even with indications of exceptional quality (great color, flavors and chemistry) most of us will be happy to see the end of this harvest.
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2015
Wed, Sep 23rd, 2015With just over an inch of rain last week, harvest slowed down considerably. This week most folks are finishing their merlot and are waiting a little longer for the cabernet sauvignon to ripen. York Creek is very happy that their zinfandel, merlot and petite syrah came in heavier than expected. Both Keenan and Spring Mountain wineries are only modestly down from last year, yet all of us have at least one if not several blocks that have yields that are dramatically down (60-plus percent) from last year. Stony Hill and Smith-Madrone finished last week and Schweiger will finish this week. The color, flavor profiles and chemistry continue to impress us all.
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2015
Thu, Aug 27th, 2015Harvest is slowly picking up speed. Being lower on the mountain, Spring Mountain Winery has finished their sauvignon blanc, semillon and pinot noir and are deep into their chardonnay with slightly lower crops. School House has also finished their chardonnay and pinot noir. Stony Hill has finished both their chardonnay and gewurztraminer and is waiting on their riesling. Smith-Madrone has started on both chardonnay and riesling, and Keenan will start this Friday with chardonnay. The reds are still weeks away. Early reports are that juice chemistry and quality are excellent. For those of us with vines that bloomed during May it may be some of the worst shatter any of us have ever seen.
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2014
Wed, Oct 7th, 2015Stu's last harvest report for the Spring Mountain District:
While most of the mountain has completed harvest, a few have not. The recent weather has been fabulous and with no rain in sight there's not a lot of urgency by some. York Creek, Pride and Kieu Hoang still have a substantial percentage to go before finishing in several weeks, while 7 & 8 and Sherwin are harvesting this week and may finish this week or next.
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2014
Sat, Sep 13th, 2014The fabulous weather for the last 10 days has allowed harvest to proceed with nearly perfect conditions. This week Stony Hill, Schweiger and Keenan will be finishing chardonnay. This week numerous wineries are starting Merlot in a serious way with a few wineries dabbling in small blocks of Cabernet Sauvignon. The acids and pHs are in perfect balance; flavors tend to be developing at lower sugar levels than normal. Everyone is anticipating a serious go at Cabernet in the upcoming weeks.
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2014
Tue, Sep 2nd, 2014Stu's harvest report for the District this week:
"Harvest is still quiet on Spring Mountain with the exception of the same wineries. Stony Hill has finished their chardonnay and is moving into their riesling. Smith-Madrone has finished our riesling and is going back to finish our chardonnay. Spring Mountain Winery is now finished with their sauvignon blanc and pinot noir and moving into their chardonnay and merlot. Schweiger is also starting their merlot and chardonnay. Mike Chelini called his Stony Hill chardonnay 'perfect' and Smith-Madrone echoes the same 'sediment' with our riesling."
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2014
Tue, Aug 19th, 2014Stu's report for the Spring Mountain District this week:
"Spring Mountain District officially started harvest last Friday with Spring Mountain Winery harvesting a small amount of sauvignon blanc. They anticipate continuing with sauvignon blanc this week and starting with pinot noir. Higher up on the mountain not much has been happening. A few wineries are anticipating starting with chardonnay in the week of Aug. 25. Flavors seem to be developing at lower sugars than usual and the crop looks very good and clean. Everyone's anticipating a wonderful harvest."
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2013
Wed, Sep 25th, 2013Several of the wineries were looking at full cellars, so the rain delay in harvesting provided a welcome relief. Additionally, the rain settled the dust, cleaned off the grapes and leaves and just scrubbed the whole mountain until it sparkled. Because of the cool and windy weather following the rain there is zero concern for rot. Spring Mountain Winery, Cain Cellars, Pride and York Creek Vineyards are far from being done. Stony Hill has finished, Smith-Madrone and Keenan are nearing the end. The vines are holding up, but the small Cabernet berries this year are giving lower than usual juice yields.
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2013
Tue, Sep 24th, 2013As of today, we've harvested about 90% and are still waiting for one block each of Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot to come in. The weather during harvest has been fabulous. The vines have been holding up very well and the grapes have good flavors, low pHs and high acid. The crop is, as normal, mixed depending on when each varietal bloomed. The Chardonnay and Cabernet Sauvignon were similar to last year's crops – down from historical averages. Both the Riesling and Cabernet franc were up in production primarily because of replanted young blocks coming into production. The Cabernet Sauvignon has unusually small berries with a correspondingly small juice to skin ratio.
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2013
Thu, Sep 19th, 2013The one commonality about the harvest on Spring Mountain is that everyone agrees we have had great weather, the vines are holding up splendidly, the berries are small and very flavorful, perfect sugars, low pHs and high TAs. The whites have mostly been harvested with the exception of small blocks at Terra Valentine and Seven & Eight. Most wineries are harvesting their cabernet or merlot or both, yet as usual, others such as Pride, Guilliams, Paloma and Barnett are still waiting for their reds.
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2013
Thu, Sep 12th, 2013Stu's weekly harvest report for the Spring Mountain District this week:
"Little on Spring Mountain lends itself to generalization. Stony Hill, Spring Mountain winery and Smith-Madrone are all finished with their whites. Many of us are harvesting cabernet and a little merlot. Schweiger may start by week's end. Cain starts this week with merlot, yet Keenan is waiting on merlot, but starting cabernet. Crop levels are modest and the grapes are holding their own in this heat. Cabernet is on par with last year's crop, which for the mountain was down from our historical averages. It is a very early harvest for the reds."
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2012
Thu, Nov 1st, 2012Stu's final harvest report for the Spring Mountain District, for the week of November 1:
"Very little has changed since last week with only two Spring Mountain District producers with fruit still on the vines. Even with the Wednesday rain there should be little or no damage to the cabernet sauvignon that is still out. It was a wonderful harvest and we all expect a great vintage."
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2012
Thu, Oct 25th, 2012Stu's harvest report for the Spring Mountain District for the week of October 25:
"A wonderful harvest is over for almost all Spring Mountain wineries, but not all. A big push this past week brought in most of the remaining grapes, especially if tank space was available. Several vineyards will wait out the inch-plus rainfall that came early Monday and likely will not finish until early November."
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2012
Tue, Oct 16th, 2012Stu's harvest report for the Spring Mountain District for the week of October 18:
"It's been another week of everyone doing their own thing on their own time. Some wineries are very busy picking this week, while others are taking it slow and waiting. Some are done and cleaning up while others are just beginning. If you're high on the mountain your cabernet crop is down, if you're closer to the valley your cabernet crop is up. The one commonality is the merlot crop is both large and late."
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2012
Thu, Oct 11th, 2012Stu's harvest report for the Spring Mountain District for the week of October 11:
"Many of the higher elevation wineries on SpringMountain are actively harvesting cabernet sauvignon and almost anything else that's left on the vines. They are also anticipating the end of harvest later this week or early next week. However, Pride, York Creek, Guilliams and Sherwin will not finish until toward the end of October, as will the lower-elevation wineries that are still waiting on the cabernet sauvignon."
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2012
Thu, Oct 4th, 2012Stu's harvest report for the Spring Mountain District for the week of October 4:
"Barbara Richards of Paloma believes this may be the 'best merlot crop in years' — a common sentiment on the mountain. Also, the mountain is experiencing a small cabernet sauvignon crop with small clusters, small berries and intense color and flavors. After these two facts, the mountain is out of sync. Some wineries have finished, others haven't started, some are harvesting cabernet before merlot while others are harvesting merlot before cabernet. Go figure!"
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2012
Thu, Sep 27th, 2012Stu's harvest report for the Spring Mountain District for the week of September 27: "It's been a lovely and wonderful harvest so far — near perfection. By the end of this week, Stony Hill, Spring Mountain Winery and Smith-Madrone will have finished with white grapes, yet Keenan and Schweiger will not have started with their whites. Pinot noir seems to be the only red being harvested on the mountain. The reds are showing wonderful flavors at this early stage, but the main harvest of the mountain is still several weeks off."
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2012
Thu, Sep 20th, 2012Stu's harvest report for the Spring Mountain District for the week of September 20: "Most of the wineries with white grapes expect to start later this week. Those that have harvested chardonnay have seen great chemistry in the grapes along with a substantial rebound in crop size from last year. For many of us, the cabernet sauvignon crop is appearing smaller than first thought."
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2012
Thu, Sep 13th, 2012Stu's harvest report for the Spring Mountain District for the week of September 13: "The mountain is in a waiting mood. While mostly complete, there are still blocks of reds that have not finished veraison."
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2012
Thu, Sep 6th, 2012Stu's harvest report for the Spring Mountain District for the week of September 6, 2012: "With warmer weather, Spring Mountain Winery is harvesting some sauvignon blanc and pinot noir. Stony Hill is getting in some chardonnay and Gewürztraminer and Smith-Madrone is also bringing in some chardonnay. Other than these small blocks, the mountain is in a waiting mood. While mostly complete, there are still blocks of reds that have not finished veraison."
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2012
Thu, Aug 30th, 2012Stu's harvest report for the Spring Mountain District for the week of August 30, 2012: "Spring Mountain Winery may start harvest toward the end of this week with sauvignon blanc and pinot noir. However, the rest of the mountain is still waiting and enjoying this wonderful weather. The cabernet sauvignon and merlot are almost through veraison, while the cabernet franc is about 75 percent completed. Harvest appears to be running about a week later than 'normal.'"
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2012
Thu, Aug 23rd, 2012Stu's harvest report for the Spring Mountain District for the week of August 23, 2012: "It seems 2012 is 'back to normal.' Cabernet has an average crop, while merlot and cab franc are definitely larger, causing a fair amount of crop thinning. Cabernet sauvignon is about 50 percent through veraison while cab franc is below that. Harvest might start about a week later than normal."
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Smith-Madrone Vineyards & Winery
P.O. Box 451/ 4022 Spring Mountain Road, St. Helena, CA 94574
Telephone: 707.963.2283
