The 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 Shaefer 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.
Written by Stuart Smith, Smith-Madrone Winery, published in Napa Valley Register