2024 Vintage

One of the snowiest, stormiest winters we’ve had since I’ve been in Oregon. We had 5 different snow events in the Willamette Valley, and were lucky to get some reprieve between them with some milder weather, and snow out here isn’t like it was when I lived in Montana. It’s wet, it melts, it refreezes and we cancel work and school because no one is prepared for it.

In April, we were greeted with a mild spring. This happens from time to time and we always think, “Going to be an early harvest…” Nature is the great equalizer, so of course we are wrong most of the time, but it doesn’t stop the pendulum of speculation from farmers. The warmth of April brought bud break right up to the precipice and then it stalled out, some cooler weather came in with precipitation. We had 14 days of rain during the last week of April/first week of May. (Maybe harvest will be late?)

This was welcome moisture for the soil, and the vines (and everything else that grows) responded well to the following heat that came. A very warm May and June kept things growing quickly and we had some of the fastest shoot growth I’ve ever seen. We saw flowering in late June and had great weather for fruit set.

July provided continued heat and almost no rain, which isn’t too uncommon. The heat accumulated rather quickly and the vines caught up from the delay that the April/May cooldown provided. So, we are back to an early harvest? The real fun with ample moisture and heat is that it’s not only the grapes that grow… Managing growth between the rows and undervine is a task that has to share time with canopy management.

We went into August the way that someone would enter an air conditioned room. The temperatures dropped considerably and we had the mildest mid-summer in my memory. Growth slowed and berry development took its time. The longer and slower it ripens the more complexity and development is created - think of slow cooking a pig, or simmering Chili over a low flame. (Everything gets to know each other in the pot). At that moment, we were excited about it! (Back to later harvest?)

A quick burst of heat through the first week of September brought color change around very quickly. A little rain and some good heat brought things to the surface. Back down to the 70s after that brought about a bit more long slow ripening.

While we were excited about this little delay in the ripening process, it also means that we may be pushing into the rainy season a bit. Intestinal fortitude is required for navigating the rains.

After that little burst of warmth, we settled into a cooling pattern for the next six weeks. Temps were nice and pleasant during the day, rarely getting into the 80s. Long slow development within the berries is always welcome and this is the perfect end to an almost perfect vintage for us here in Oregon.