Recently in Harvest Category

Benziger Family Winery - Sonoma County, CA
Mark it on your calendar, 2012 was a phenomenal growing season...and you know what that means? Phenomenal wines. We promise you, although you won't have to wait too long for the whites, the reds will be well worth the wait.

Rutherford Hill Winery - Napa Valley, CA

Peju Winery - Napa Valley, CA
On September 27th, Peju Winery located in Napa Valley harvested their first red of the season - Syrah. Grown at their Persephone vineyard, the grape is typically picked on the earlier side and this year was no different. "We are always excited about crushing Syrah since it gives us two wines--a traditional red Syrah as well as a Rose." CLICK HERE tor read full post.

Chateau Julien Wine Estate
First grapes of the season for Chate Julien Wine Estate in Carmel, CA (Monterey Wine Country region) were delivered Friday night (Sept. 28th) with a lot of guests watching. Watch a small clip below.

Napa Valley, CA



Harvest 2012 is off to a great (and tasty) start, with much, much more to go!  We officially began harvesting our first grapes, Sauvignon Blanc, on Saturday September 8th.  As you can see, our entire crew, led by winemaker Dean Sylvester and Cellar master Fernando Cortez, were Œin the zone¹ ensuring the first grapes of the season were sorted, de-stemmed, crushed and pressed to perfection.

To date we have crushed numerous lots of SB and one of Pinot Noir picked at the peak of ripeness. Meanwhile, Mother Nature has been very helpful in providing textbook Napa Valley autumn days.  In fact, it¹s hard to believe ­ even if you live here ­ that it is 45 degrees in the morning and 85 in the mid-afternoon, every day.  Reds like Merlot and Cabernet flourish in this weather, which allows the grapes to develop flavor complexity and balance.

We'll begin picking them soon. There are lots of crushing to be done, so please come up, taste a few wines, and let us tour you through the winery. SEE SPECIAL OFFER!
 
What¹s the best way to celebrate harvest?  A Whitehall Lane HARVEST DINNER!
Join us at the winery Saturday October 13th, for an al fresco BBQ dinner commemorating the 2012 harvest.  CLICK HERE more information, or contact Dustin at 707 963 9454 x 32 or dustin@whitehalllane.com.

Wineries around Napa Valley and Sonoma are watching their vineyards and grapes closely and will start harvesting any day now. Some have begun harvesting already. See the round-up of updates from across the blogosphere.

St. Francis Winery - Sonoma County, CA
"Our fourth consecutive "September Harvest" began with this morning's arrival of 8 tons of hand-picked Sonoma Valley Chardonnay grapes at our inspection platform. To our specifications, the sweet (24° Brix), plump golden grapes were hand-picked and cold to the touch--a good start for crushing. Once again, the sights and smells on our bustling Crush Pad are unmistakable: it is Harvest in Sonoma."  - Christopher Silva, President & CEO
~ Click Here to read full post or Watch the video below!

Cuvaison - Napa Valley, CA
Report: At 10 pm on September 11, 2012, several crews began harvesting Pinot Noir and Chardonnay  grapes from our estate vineyards in Carneros. Crews worked tirelessly until 4 am, bringing in 31 tons of Pinot Noir and 32 tons of Chardonnay! The grapes look fantastic and we are all very excited about this year's crop! Watch the video to get a first hand look.

Learn about the harvest season and what crush is like in Napa Valley from St. Supery's Assistant Winemaker Brooke Langelius and Winemaker Micheal Scholz.


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Keep up to date with all of the news around the country about the wine harvest for 2012. See the latest tweets below!

Interested in Napa Valley Harvest (#NVHarvest) specifically? No worries - CLICK HERE!

More of a Sonoma wine fan? We have you covered - CLICK HERE!

EVENTS:
Check out upcoming harvest season and crush events happening in Sonoma in the months of September and October. CLICK HERE!

MORE ARTICLES ON HARVEST:
Kendall Jackson Winery - 2012 Harvest Predictions

EVENTS:
Check out upcoming harvest season and crush events happening in Napa Valley in the months of August, September and October. CLICK HERE!

VIDEOS:
St. Supery - Learning about Harvest Season & Crush
Harvest Season in Napa Valley Kicks Off!

EVENTS:
Check out upcoming harvest season and crush events happening in Napa Valley in the months of August, September and October. CLICK HERE!

2012 #NVHarvest
Read tweets from folks all over Napa Valley involved with this year's Harvest. CLICK HERE!

Is 2012 going to produce a phenomenal vintage? What are winemakers starting predict about this year's harvest? All questions we know our readers are keenly interested in as the harvest season slowly creeps closer!

Matt, the winemaker at Kendall Jackson is predicting that "with the necessary grand gestures of knocking firmly on wooden surfaces, I will admit that things are looking pretty darn good out there, " but concedes . . .

"there's a lot of "ifs" that still need to happen for 2012 to be one for the record books:  If the warm summer weather continues into September, we're probably looking at a great one, if that heat is not too excessive where we get violent heat waves that destroy a lot of crop, like in 2010, if the rains hold off until late in October so that our latest-ripening grapes can achieve that perfect ripeness . . .

CLICK HERE to read full article.