Winegrower's Log 2009

• Wingrower's Log Videos 2009

May 22, 2009
As I mentioned in my last post, we are just beginning to critically evaluate the chardonnays and pinot noirs from the 2008 vintage. This is a key step in our winegrowing process because we blind taste every lot from each vineyard block to assess the quality. We determine if any of the wines have defects or flaws that require remediation. If we’ve conducted a trial in the vineyard or winery, this is a way to check in and see how it’s doing. We discuss whether to modify farming or winemaking techniques during the current season. These tastings also guide our blending decisions for the single vineyard and estate wines.

We conducted the first of these tastings, focusing on Rincon Vineyard Pinot Noir, on Friday May 22. We tasted a total of 22 lots and found all to be of good to exceptional quality. As usual, the standouts came from the very top of the West Rincon Vineyard, though we had a wonderful surprise when a brand new block, an own rooted section lower down the hill in the West Rincon Vineyard planted with our Rosemary’s Vineyard clonal selection, was a unanimous favorite. Based on this tasting, we have high hopes for the 2008 vintage! ~BT

May 18, 2009
We’re entering our typical summer weather pattern of foggy mornings followed by gently breezy and sunny but cool afternoons. We are in the midst of bloom—the critical time when the berries flower and are pollinated. The accompany photos show the clusters during bloom and just after bloom, during the period we call set.

Growing conditions have been ideal and all indications lead me to believe that our 2009 crop might be the largest in several years. These are the reasons why: the vines are growing vigorously because they have much stored energy due to small crops for the past few years. We had a cold winter, which delayed budbreak so that the vines could grow under warmer and more favorable conditions, especially over the past couple of weeks during bloom. Finally, cluster counts are higher and cluster sizes appear to be larger than normal. We will start leaf removal tomorrow to open the canopy and expose the clusters to more air and sunlight, and then we’ll really be able to see what we’ve got.

In the winery, preparations are occurring for the bottling of the 2006 Bishop’s Peak Syrah and the 2007 Talley Vineyards Edna Valley Pinot Noir. In addition, we are racking all of the 2008 Bishop’s Peak red wines and beginning our annual assessment of the quality of the Talley Vineyards chardonnays and pinot noirs. All indications are good for quality in 2008 with the pinot noirs showing lots of density and good concentration. I look forward to tasting them more critically with our winemaking team over the next few weeks.

Finally, June 1 marks the release of the first single vineyard wines from the 2007 vintage, the Rincon and Rosemary’s Vineyard Chardonnays. The wines really capture the essence of a strong vintage with wonderful complexity, firm acidity and great concentration.

March 17, 2009
We’re just days away from the first day of spring and things are beautiful here in the Arroyo Grande Valley. Though we’re still about 7 inches below our average annual rainfall (we’ve received 12 inches, and our average is 19), it has rained enough to make the hills green and our covercrops lush. Vines are starting to push and the wildflowers are in full bloom.

In the vineyard, we’re mostly focused on mowing our covercrops and protecting the tender young shoots from frost. We have budbreak in most areas, but the shoots generally less than 1 inch long now. The forecast is for warmer weather next week, so they should really take off after that.

In the winery, we’re preparing to bottle a number of wines over the next few weeks. Today, we focus on our 2008 whites—Bishop’s Peak Pinot Gris and Grenache Rose as well as Talley Vineyards Riesling and Sauvignon Blanc. Later we roll into the 2007s still in barrel—Estate and Edna Valley pinot noirs, the single vineyard chardonnays and finally, the single vineyard pinot noirs. We’re excited about the lushness and concentration of the 2007 vintage, and most of the wines bottled this spring will be released in the fall.

I have been spending more time traveling, talking about our wines and learning about what’s happening in the marketplace. Things are tough for many in the wine business now, especially restaurateurs. It’s a time when everyone is looking very carefully at the business to make sure they’re providing the very best quality and service. This has always been my goal, and these challenging times only reinforce the importance of our mission.

Finally, if you enjoyed our pruning videos (see link, above), we’ll have a new set in the next few weeks focusing on shoot thinning and bottling. ~Brian Talley

January 23, 2009
Just as change is sweeping the country with the inauguration of our new President, we too are making some changes here at Talley Vineyards. I am pleased to announce a cool new feature with the Winegrowers Log — videos showing what’s happening at the winery and in our vineyards throughout the season (see link at the top of the Winegrower's Log).

Our first two videos feature Vineyard Manager Kevin Wilkinson and me discussing and demonstrating our pruning techniques for chardonnay and pinot noir vines.

Moving on to other Winegrower's Log business, the weather this January has been remarkable around the country. While parts of the Midwest have experienced some of the coldest days on record, we saw record high temperatures throughout coastal California. We had a number of days in the low 80s in Arroyo Grande, and while this feels very good to everyone who lives here, it has sent the wrong signal to our grapevines—namely that it’s time to wake up after winter dormancy. Consequently, our pruners are working very quickly to stay ahead of the vines and get everything pruned before the buds start pushing new growth, most likely early next month.

Things are much less hectic in the production department. A few of our slowest fermentations are still plugging along, but we’re now mostly focused on getting everything ready for our spring bottling schedule, which will start in mid-February. At that time, we’ll bottle our lighter 2008 white wines: Bishop’s Peak Pinot Gris, Talley Vineyards Riesling and Bishop’s Peak Rosé. In mid March, we turn our attention to the 2007 single vineyard chardonnays from Oliver’s Vineyard, the Rincon Vineyard and Rosemary’s Vineyard.

On the sales side, we are just now releasing our 2007 Estate Chardonnay. Our signature wine really captures the essence of the wonderful 2007 vintage—great depth of flavor, intense minerality and impeccable balance. I can’t wait to bottle the rest of the wines in our lineup. ~BT