Fall 2021 – Harvest

Three cheers for Harvest 2021!  After all the smoke from last season’s fires that we had to deal with as crush 2020 approached, this bright, clear autumn seemed especially cheerful.  And now the rain is back, too (the big storms began the day after we picked our last grapes, thanks to a lot of careful planning and a bit of good luck), so things at Bartholomew Estate are looking up, up, up!

Now for the details:  On the white side, the Sauvignon Blanc came in first, ripe and juicy.  It is all done and resting in barrel, awaiting bottling in late February.  We will have just a little more of our very limited and highly sought-after Marsanne | Roussanne this year, and it is already showing lots of depth and richness, so our club members will be in for a treat come summertime.

Speaking of summer, our dry Zinfandel Rosé, the quintessential summer sipper, is also coming along nicely, some in stainless tank and some in neutral barrels.  When blended, I think it will wow.

The red Zins got nice and ripe this year and should be serious crowd-pleasers.  The Syrah from Viviano’s Block, the first red we harvest, and the Cabernet Sauvignon, our final red pick, are both dark and dense.

Those two will need time to develop, but less so the last thing on my list—Pinot Noir.  It’s too warm to grow Pinot in our estate vineyards, but I was able to get a few tons of great Pinot from my mentor, friend, and former boss, Steve MacRostie.  His Wildcat Mountain Vineyard is cool and windy, perfect for Pinot Noir.  I’m so excited to work with this incredible fruit again!  This wine will be a club exclusive.