It 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.
Written by Stuart Smith, Smith-Madrone Winery, published in Napa Valley Register
Photo shared by Vineyard 7 & 8