October 17
We had a week of beautiful warm weather with cold nights and a feel of fall in the air.
In Calistoga we concentrated on pressing tanks as fermentations finished and tannins softened. We will be finished pressing next Tuesday. The malolactic fermentations are progressing well in our pressed tanks.
In Healdsburg, we also focused on pressing as the Pinot Noir fermentations went to dryness. We should press our last tank around October 24th. The malolactics are intentionally slower with the Pinot Noirs, but they have started and moving along as desired.
This will be my last harvest report. I hope that they have been informative and have given you a sense of participating in what has been a challenging, but ultimately, very rewarding vintage. The quality of these 2008 wines is extraordinary and will be a testament to the value of hard work and perseverance for years to come.
~Daniel Baron