Redman Vineyard 2016 Harvest

REDMAN 2016 Oregon grape growing season was EASY! As I looked back it went according to plan, every picking day brought beautiful weather, glorious ripe fruit, happy picking team and a very grateful Cathy. Similar to the last two vintages, the 2016 growing season continue to push the envelop for defining the new normal in Oregon as the earliest on record. The unusually warm spring gave way to moderate summer conditions. Bud break in the Redman Vineyard occurred the third week in March and Bloom the first week in June. A week long heat spell at bloom condensed the flowering period, resulting in a smaller fruit set. Summer provided average conditions with fewer heat spikes than the 2014 and 2015 vintages. This led to smaller berry size and higher concentration of flavors. Veraison began early August and concluded the third week in August. Warmer than normal conditions, especially during August allowed us to enjoy an earlier than usual harvest with picking on Ribbon Ridge Redman Vineyard, September 13, 2016. We completed harvest the first week of October with the Pinot Blanc taking its sweet time hanging and ripening. The 2016 growing season, with the warm dry weather conditions produced clusters that were ripe, with expressive well-developed flavors, solid structure and intense colors. The wines in the barrel show aromas of fresh fruits and alluring floral notes, with a bit more minerality, that Cathy likes!

The foundation of the 2016 vintage seems to be BALANCE with fruit, acidity and tannin in fine symmetry. EASY!