Harvest Report from our friends Daniel Moore and Jeff Morgan at Peter Paul Wines

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Harvest Report 2013

Great Weather, Great Wines!

We thought it couldn’t get any better than it did in 2012, when plentiful sunshine and perfect temperatures ripened northern California’s grape crop to perfection. Against all odds, vintage 2013 might surpass 2012! In any case, both vintages will surely go down in the history books as back-to-back phenomenons.

At Peter Paul, we began our 2013 harvest on September 7th with Pinot Noir in the Russian River Valley. Chardonnay started to come in on September 9. By September 28, the last Pinot Noir was picked—with ripe berries packed with concentrated flavor. This year was a bit unusual in that both Pinot Noir and Chardonnay ripened quite closely together. But the quality is, in a word, outstanding. In all, our Russian River vineyards along the Gravenstein Highway experienced an excellent growing season that promises exquisite taste in your glass. We are very excited!

To the east of the Russian River Valley, our Napa Valley Cabernet typically comes in well after Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. But this year, the first Cabernet pick occurred on October 2, right on the heels of Pinot Noir. (Some other Napa wineries were picking Cabernet as early as mid-September.) After a nearly cloud-free growing season, Napa Valley witnessed two rain storms in late September that cooled things down a bit and slowed up the ripening process for grapes still hanging on the vines. Fortunately, the valley experienced an endlessly dry, sunny Indian summer—not too hot and not too cold. It allowed our last picked grapes, like those on Mt. Veeder, to reach extraordinary maturity. The extra hang time promoted smooth tannins and wonderfully complex fruit flavors in the young wines, now in barrel. All the wines—though still in their youth—are packed with terrific potential.

Meanwhile, our current vintages are showing beautifully as well. If you don’t have any in your cellar for the holidays, you can easily purchase them at www.peterpaulwines.com.

Cheers and best wishes!

 

Daniel Moore and Jeff Morgan Co Winemakers

Peter Paul Wines Russian River Valley/Napa Valley

www.peterpaulwines.com