2024 Harvest Update

Yates Harvest Begins - September 17th

We began picking grapes for ourselves in the early morning. We have been watching our 20-year-old Merlot block for the last couple of weeks. The pH and brix have been steadily climbing to our ideal numbers. We are experiencing a cool down in the Napa Valley this week, but the weather is expected to start climbing again by next week up into the 90s. We wanted to get the Merlot off before the heat returns. Officially our 2024 Harvest has begun!

Sampling Time - September 12th

It was time to walk all the blocks, check out how the grapes were looking and grab samples to test both the brix (sugar levels) and the pH (acid). This is when we can also make sure the grapes are looking good, plumb, no sunburn, and the leaves are staying green for photosynthesis.

Starting Cabernet Harvest - September 9

This morning, we began our red grape harvest with some Cabernet Sauvignon for one of our winemaking clients. We sell 80%-85% of our grapes and this client liked the balance between the acidity and the sugar in our block 3B. It also reminded us that we needed to start doing some sampling in our other blocks to see how it all coming along.

Moving Along - August 28

Man, we are getting excited up on the hills of Mount Veeder. The grapes are coming along, all have turned purple or in the case of Viognier, a more translucent yellow. We are still not sampling but see that starting in the next few weeks. We have been sitting in the 90s the last few days which helps ripen the grapes. Hang time is the best time!

Here Comes 2024 - August 23

On our property we have five rows of chardonnay grapes along our driveway. It is always our first pick of the season, and we have sold these to numerous other wineries to add some Mount Veeder chardonnay to their chardonnay program. We usually only get about a ton, and we call it the family pick. We get the parents, cousins, and even to kids out to help harvest. With school starting and the kids officially at too many places, we couldn't get them up this year. But we thought to share some past pictures of our picking crew. So, I guess you can officially say our harvest started this year, but we have some time before the Viognier or red grapes are ready.