All good things must come to an end. The annual cycle is complete. Now comes rest. Rest for the plants, rest for the soil, rest for the workers and rest for the wine, until the springtime air begins to stir things to life again. The grapes have all been harvested. Our last fruit picked was 96-clone Chardonnay from the Durant Vineyard in Dundee on October 27 th . A beautiful golden hue to the berries with spots of sun-tanned brown. Delicious!
The tanks are almost all emptied. There are still some fermentations slowly bubbling away in the now colder temperatures of the cellar. Chardonnay barrels and Riesling tanks slowly fizz, releasing a nectar-like aroma into the air: peaches, pineapples, apples and sweet spices. These will continue at an intentionally slow pace until the late winter or early spring. They are fun to taste now though, kind of like being in a candy shop.
It has been only one month since we began harvest, although it feels like much longer than that. The team has worked very hard day and night without much rest and I am sure that they look forward to taking some days off and resting in the warmth of the indoors. But alas, it is not to be. The compost needs to be spread and tilled under before the winter frosts and our last Biodynamic sprays need to be applied to the soil, vine canes and leaves before they lose all of their foliage. New compost needs to be built for next year and new vineyard blocks need to be laid out for an early spring planting. I used to tell people that December and January were great months because we could rest, now I tell them that they are great months because the cycle starts again.
Due to a larger harvested than was foreseen, I am waiting for a container of 140 new French oak barrels which are on a ship heading our way from Burgundy. We will be busy taking new wines to barrel until the middle of December now. The good news is that the wines merit the special attention. The 2006 Pinot Noirs will be aromatic, sleek and, if I may say..sexy. The wines have elegant structure and great fresh fruit appeal and will probably be for near to mid term drinking upon release. Could be a great year of approachable and delicious wines (while we wait for the monstrous 2005’s to mellow.)
Thank you for tuning in to see what happened day to day here at Bergström Winery. We have a lot of fun doing what we do and it is nice to share our experience with you the consumer, the critic, the aficionado or the curiously lost web surfer looking for directions to the Bergström Air Force Base in Texas. No matter how you found us on-line, I encourage you to come and visit us in person. Our tasting room is warm and friendly and we are always eager to share a cup of cheer with fellow Pinot Noir fans. Maybe you can tell us one of your stories.
Have a nice winter and we’ll do it again next year! Cheers.