I’m going to chat a bit about what I see going on in the Napa vineyard right around the house. This is easy since I see it every day at least like maybe 6 times a day. I drive out in the morning along a row of Cabernet Sauvignon grapes. I come back along the same row. I sit on the back porch and look out at a different clone of Cabernet that’s planted about 15 feet from the deck where I usually eat lunch. Right now I’m sitting along a few rows of younger vines along the side deck off the kitchen, they are developing a little differently from the rest.
Anyway, point being, I see these grapes every day, all day. It’s kinda like kids or dogs or rabbits or the like, if you see them every day, you aren’t too surprised by how big they have become, its just an ongoing thing. We have a lot of Cabernet Sauvignon grapes on the vines, the clusters are pretty large in comparison to last years. Or so it seems to me, just sayin’.
I am thinking that the 2017 Napa vintage has the potential to be a pretty large crop of some well-watered and well-fed grapes. The flavors should be concentrated if the heat keeps up.
The single largest issue that has been lurking around has been the potential for “powdery mildew”. The mildew can certainly spoil the grapes and wreck havoc on the vines if not taken care of appropriately. But, so far, so good. Not seeing any signs of the beast.
I will try to keep posting “Views from the Vineyard Decks” more consistently as the Summer morphs into harvest season and maintain a bit more current views on the progress of our local vineyard.
That’s all for now and, as always, if you are in the neighborhood, give a shout and if we are home, come on by for a visit.
Cheers,
Winemaker Keith Webster (and of course Chelli, the Boss)
Webster Cellars
