Grapes are Ripening

It has been about 3 weeks since the grapes began to change from their summer green to gold and purple.  The Chardonnay grapes are the ripest and the other varieties will come in one after another behind them.  Right now they are at 16 to 19 Brix of sugar, so if this hot dry weather continues we may be picking by the second week of September.

The Chambourcin is also ripening nicely but they will need at least until October to get their sugar and flavor profiles up to where we can pick them.  We like the Chambourcin to be very sweet with a low acid because so much of its character is locked up in its skins.  The skins have such a nice flavor of pepper and tannin that they give the Chambourcin a flavor profile unlike any other wine I have ever tasted.  This year's Chambourcin is shaping up quite nicely.  It will be interesting to see how the weather holds out until November when we will pick our Cabernet Franc.  This picture is a shot of the ripening Chambourcin.

The final shot is one of the Cabernet which will hang until early November.  Last year I think we picked it the first weekend of November and the wine is tucked away in French oak improving every day.