An unseasonably warm early spring led to a very early bud break for the vines. Even though we saw a cool down in late spring, the vines remained ahead in terms of growth, but bloom was sporadic. We had clusters at several different stages of development, which caused them to bloom at different times throughout the season. 

By midsummer, we began to see the diurnal temperature changes characteristic to this region, which helped advance maturity in the vineyards and moved the crop toward harvest fairly quickly. The crop appears to be lighter than last year, but overall, the vines look healthy, and traditionally, early years can produce great vintages. With nice, clear days and cool evenings, the weather cooperated during harvest, giving us good conditions for ripening and fruit quality.