As the harvest season calendar turns toward October, things remain busy at our estate Margarita Vineyard and at the winery. And so far, the early returns are promising. “It’s all going smoothly,” says Founding Winemaker Mike Sinor. “The flavors are great, the acids have held, and we’re pretty bullish about what’s to come.”
A Time to Shine
The winter season in Paso Robles saw ample rainfall, followed by a moderate spring. A warm summer was punctuated by a brief heat spike in early September, followed by perfect temperatures in the mid 80s. “We had very few days over 100 degrees this summer, so while it was warm, the pace of ripening was nice and steady,” Mike says.
The harvest started in late August with early picks of Pinot Noir for our rosé program, as well as Chardonnay and Pinot Noir for our sparkling wine program. Sauvignon Blanc and Merlot followed shortly after, with later-ripening grapes such as Zinfandel and Cabernet Sauvignon still taking their sweet time.
In Mike’s words, “I would say this is the most beautiful the vineyard has ever looked at harvest time.” He credits Vineyard Manager Wes Boneso for dialing up excellent viticulture this year. Additionally, an oversupply in the wine industry allowed us the absolute freedom to prune and shape things to perfection.”
Purity of Place
Excitement is also high in the technology department. This was the first harvest action for our new state-of-the-art Monarch MK-V electric tractors, which are powered by the vineyard’s on-site solar plant. Mike says these tractors were particularly effective for the hand-picking crews, lasting several days on a single charge while pulling the master bins.
Meanwhile, in the winery, Winemaker Stewart Cameron has fired up our all-new Rotovib 20 grape destemmer and sorter. “This is a super-gentle machine that enables us to sort out anything we don’t want in the fermentation bins and tanks, such as jacks and stems and leaves,” Mike says. “It yields ultra-clean fruit, which will enhance the purity of place in our wines.”
There’s still a long way to go before we can uncork the wines of 2024, but now you know the story of how they are coming to fruition. These wines promise to be worth the wait!