Harvest Stats:
Harvest began 9/12 with Viognier from McKinley Springs Vineyard
Ended 10/21 with Petit Verdot from Echo West Vineyard
Total Tons: 59 (about 3540 cases, 42,480 bottles)
Varieties:
Viognier, Chardonnay, Pinot Gris, Syrah, Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon, Malbec, Petit Verdot, Barbera, Sangiovese
Vintage Overview:
2020 started off as a pretty classic vintage, with a few notable rain events during flowering that foreshadowed a low yield to the grape crop (generally). Otherwise warm and dry when needed, with enough water to sustain good canopy development. Warm summer temperatures (but not too hot!) helped to push ripeness along nicely through August and early September. Early September, however, brought about major fire activity throughout many of the West Coast winegrowing regions. Most of our vineyard sources were a significant distance from the fire that had a catastrophic impact in Willamette Valley, and more isolated impact to western Gorge and Washington sites. However, some ‘smoke influence’ has been detected in varying degrees across many sites throughout the region.
Major research is being done on how widespread smoke and fires impact the region on a large scale this year, potentially leading to more availability of technical analysis to help guide winemaking and winegrowing practices.
Production Overview:
For 2020, we brought in grapes from several new vineyards, from two new (to Jacob Williams) regions; Washington’s Horse Heaven Hills, and Yakima Valley. McKinley Springs, Destiny Ridge, and Angiolina Farms are all welcome additions to the cellar that show promise for the multiple varieties that are picked from these sites.
Winemaking for 2020 involved working around the growing season as it always does, with special attention on mindfully picking potential smoke-affected sites, and careful monitoring of the new vineyards and the unpredictable nature they bring to the crushpad.
Early favorites include a “top secret” new white variety from the Horse Heaven Hills (bug Peter in the cellar for a sample), the plethora of Cabernet lots, and our first ever sparkling wine!
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