In the Vineyard

We had budbreak in our Merlot over Easter weekend (April 23-24), then in Cab Franc and Petit Manseng a day or two later, followed by Cabernet Sauvignon. We were in full bloom by June 4-5 and, thanks to some very nice weather that followed, our fruit set was very good. The new, small berries are all about pea sized except for our Cabernet Sauvignon which is a bit smaller. The berries are developing rapidly and we should have cluster close in the next couple of weeks. We have completed our shoot positioning and have started hedging the vines. These next few weeks are extremely important in terms of disease prevention and vine health. Once we get to verasion (early August) when the berries start turning color, then the weather becomes critical. We want warm to slightly hot, sunny days with cool nights and no significant rains. - Jim Dolphin, June 23, 2011