Wine, a work in progress

"The fifty-eight days of harvest seemed longer than normal, but that was primarily because it began and ended later than many of our recent harvests. In fact, in many years harvest spanned over 60 days. Winemaker Kevin Hall noted, 'that due to the short amount of time, this was a more compact harvest.'

He went on to say that overall 2023 is a really good year. Mother Nature provided us with bountiful late winter rainfall, a long and cool growing season, and no heat events during the summer or fall. This added up to a long hang time for the grapes.

In short, this extended maturation allowed the fruit to develop slowly, achieving rich, complex flavors and intense color, while the cool even temperatures contributed to brighter acidity and lower sugar levels. Kevin says, 'The 2023s have beautiful, concentrated flavors and ripeness.' "
- AVV, December 2023 Newsletter

The grapes have all been picked!
"While the final fruit of the year is always a (welcome) milestone, much work remains in the cellar – bins to punch-down, fermentations to monitor, reds to press, wine to barrel-down, and tasting, continuous tasting of every barrel we produce. It is truly a labor of love; fortunately, an incredibly delicious labor we love and are thankful for the opportunity to pursue! "
- L'Ecole Wine Club Team, 10/21/23

"October in wine country is generally a busy month. This year is no different, harvest has begun! It is often said a picture is worth a thousand words, so we're sharing that first day with you.

The result of this year's harvest is a pristine load of grapes arriving at the winery for Kevin Hall and the winemaking team. Each step taken in the vineyards, at harvest, during winemaking, and barrel aging in our caves contributes to our wines' enticing aromatics and bright flavors. We're proud to continue our decades-long tradition of hand-crafted estate wines at Alexander Valley Vineyards."
- Alexander Valley Vineyards Harvest Team, 10/2/23

"So far 2023 has been another fun year full of successes mixed in with some challenges. The extremely wet and cool winter conditions were welcomed and couldn’t have come at a better time for our baby vines.

The younger vines soaked up all that rain and pushed their roots deeper into the rocky mountain. I’m a firm believer that everything should start with a strong, solid foundation and that’s exactly what the youngsters were able to accomplish this year with the help from the timely rains.

The mature “fireproof” vines with their deep roots tapped into those water reserves and grew some of the most beautiful clusters full of plump and juicy grapes (similar to 2010?). Spring weather continued with heavy rains promoting growth; but then in May as if someone flipped a switch, a very hot and dry summer quickly followed for a long hangtime, a prelude to depth and complexity of flavors with harvest coming 2-3 weeks later this year. Time to sharpen those harvest knives!"
- Alan Viader, Winemaker, Viader Vineyards 9/6/23