Snowden News
The Fruit is In -- All Looks Good -- Whew
We are delighted -- and relieved -- to report our harvest is complete. We make our wines in a neo-traditional, terroir-driven style, which means we pick on the early side for the Napa Valley. This happens to keep us out of the line of fire for a lot of late fall risks like frost, rain, and smoke, but our real goal is to make wines at lower alcohols, with tannins and acid structure – wines which let the character of our different fields and the unique idiosyncrasies of the vintage show through to the glass. The Valley came through the '19 vintage without devastating heatwaves or fires, for which we are deeply grateful. It was a long and moderate year which appears to be giving us unusually approachable wines. The photo shows – left to right – CFO Carey Snowden Harrington (duties as assigned), winemaker Diana Snowden Seysses, and wine colleague Maggie Purdue, sorting the 2019 Brothers Cabernet Sauvignon, which came in on Saturday the 5th.
Oct 17, 2019 at 6:08 PM
Permalink
Yipeee! Harvest is Underway!
The photo is just after dawn as the sun breaks over the Brothers Vineyard and the crew is just finishing our first pick for 2019 -- the single acre of Sauvignon Blanc. This continues to be another interesting growing season -- fewer heat spikes than most years, cooler nights, and everything taking a just a touch more time. We're going to bring in some Merlot on Wednesday for a dry rosé, and then it will be time to hurry up and wait for the reds to finish ripening.
Sep 9, 2019 at 12:51 PM
Permalink
Veraison! Party!
We moved our "harvest" party up to late July to make sure our vineyard staff would be able to come -- once harvest actually starts, they're busy almost every day. We were excited to see our vineyardists, wine club members, friends, family, and other Napa Valley wine people partying together under the oaks by our remote "Lost Orchard" vineyard at the east end of the property. This is winemaker Diana Snowden Seysses, in from France, pouring magnums of two wines from the '90s and the rest from the '00s. The food came from both sides of the boarder, the music was Norteño, and the weather was perfect -- which pretty much describes the growing season so far: slow, steady, and comfortable. Here's a shot of Cabernet Sauvignon in our Brothers' Vineyard on August 8. The chances of several curve balls coming up before harvest are near certain, but fingers are crossed.
Aug 11, 2019 at 2:24 PM
Permalink
Take Your Mark, Get Set
Ranch manager Severiano Deloera and his team finished pruning our final block last week. We always hold the single acre of Sauvignon Blanc until the end of pruning to delay budbreak in the only spot on the ranch where we've ever experienced a frost issue. Seve keeps his group small so they can stay in close touch while they work. Pruning is one of the most sensitive steps in the annual cycle. Not only are they shaping the vine for this vintage -- they're also defining the universe of possibilities for next year. Budbreak is about a week away -- two weeks later than last year. We like that. The longer the winter dormancy, the more rest for the vines. We've had plenty of rain, which will make it easier to support the vines through the warm summer. I always love the dawn of the the growing season. Everything is still perfect.
Mar 26, 2019 at 8:35 PM
Permalink
Harvest 2018 -- Here We Go
Vintages are unique -- and 2018 is no exception. So far, the weather has been temperate and kind resulting in a more gradual final maturation than the past couple of years. Our harvest got underway on September 7 with a little over two and a half tons of Sauvignon Blanc from the "Sunninghill" block -- here's Scott setting an example in a suit and tie. Yesterday, we picked two tons of Merlot for rosé -- the photo shows the juice draining into the press pan. It looks like it will be another week or ten days before the serious reds start coming in.
Sep 15, 2018 at 4:58 PM
Permalink
Pruning Photo Finish
Yesterday was a big day at the ranch – ranch manager Severiano Deloera and his team of master vineyardists finished pruning the Brothers’ vineyard. The Brothers is our largest and most challenging block because it’s closely spaced and “cane pruned” – a more sophisticated and difficult pruning method. One silver lining of this dry winter has been fewer rain days – Seve’s small team is on track to finish the pruning without needing to call in reinforcements, ensuring a high level of accuracy and uniformity in the work. They’ve only got two single-acre blocks to go: the Cabernet Franc and the Sauvignon Blanc. Seve always leaves the Sauvignon Blanc for last – it’s planted in the only spot on the ranch susceptible to frost and late pruning will delay budbreak, protecting the vines farther into the frost season. It looks like we'll finish pruning without a day to spare -- the first buds are just starting to crack in the earliest blocks. More good news – it’s just started raining!
Mar 13, 2018 at 8:09 PM
Permalink
Pruning Means It's a New Growing Year
We wish it were raining here in the Napa Valley, but one positive of the delightful, balmy weather -- every day is a pruning day. Our tiny crew -- ranch manager Severiano Deloera and three trusted colleagues -- are already over half way along. There are almost 44,000 vines to be pruned and it's not good for the pruners or the vines to work in bad weather. But this year it looks like they'll be able to finish without having to call in reinforcements. There's a big upside when this happens: the small team works closely together and stops whenever someone encounters a vine raising new questions -- which happens regularly, especially when they are starting a new block. The result is an unusually high level of both quality and uniformity. These are essential to producing the highest quality grapes, particularly in the cane-pruned blocks, such as the Brothers Vineyard. In other news, many of you have heard us mention that the ranch lies about a mile north of the Pritchard Hill appellation? Here's an aerial photo showing the Lost Orchard Vineyard at the east end of the property. From there it drops steeply down to Lake Hennessey and that's Pritchard Hill on the far side at the right.
Feb 8, 2018 at 3:36 PM
Permalink