Light At the End of the Tunnel

I figured out exactly how far we are through harvest today, roughly 55% of the way. Being more than half way finished is a big deal, at least mentally it is. Most people do not realize what a grind harvest can be after a while. Once we start filling fermentors up in the cellar, winemaking is an everyday job that lasts about sixty days from start to finish. We are so heavily weighted towards Cabernet Sauvignon now that it seems like we should be further along but we are not because of the lateness of this varietal. Most of the warmer sites for Cabernet Sauvignon have been picked such as all of Red Mountain and Champoux Vineyard in the Horse Heaven Hills appellation. Some of the sites we get fruit from in the Wahluke Slope appellation such as Weinbau Vineyard are ready and will be picked this week as well.
The vintage continues to show great promise so far. Great tannin structure and incredible fruit flavors dominate. The weather looks to stay nice at least through this weekend so we will continue to bring in fruit at a accelerated pace. We have picked all but one lot of our white wine grapes and that will be picked early next week. We can see light at the end of the tunnel !
Cheers
Charlie