Analyzing the Harvest

Yesterday, we pressed and pumped the last of this year's harvest into tanks.  The smell and taste of the new vintage is so enticing (ripe fruits, figs and toffee).  The initial tests and barrel samples seem outstanding.  There are a lot of exceptional fruit flavors and colors coming out of our Chambourcin and Cabernet Franc.  The Vidal Blanc, Chardonnay and Blush all seem to be resting after their initial ferments and all indications are that they will have very nice flavors, aromas and a nice balance of acids.  Our tests in the field all indicated that these were some excellent grapes despite the cool, wet conditions.  Why?  Only the final wine will tell the story but I did stumble across an interesting article that verifies our initial analysis.  If you are interested in why the grapes were such good quality despite the poor weather, read the article paying special note to the section concerning Lancaster County.
http://www.winesandvines.com/template.cfm?section=news&content=92983