Whether the Storm

There is one thing we hope for during the harvest every year. Good timing.
Like the rain, for instance. It's great to have several good rainfalls during the winter to load up the water table before the buds open so that the vines have something to work with over the course of the growing season, which customarily tends to be very dry.
It's a different matter still to get a big storm in late September or October.
Rain is the winemaker's nemesis during harvest. It can cause grapes to mildew. And water-logged grapes tend to make lousy wine.

In fact, we're about 60 percent through harvest at this point. All that remains are the Bordeaux varietals--Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Petit Verdot, Cabernet Franc--as well as some Syrah. We're less concerned about rain with those varietals due to their thicker skins. But even those grapes couldn't withstand a couple of downpours. The Cabernet that came in this week is of very high quality, though the yields are down substantially. More on that later.