Chateau Michaelena Vineyard

[grapeman]

All of us in the north here ar Green with envy! Of course if we were that green here right now, they might turn black after they froze!

 

[ibglowin]

This has been a picture perfect Spring for us....... It doesn't happen very often for sure!

We will have apricots, cherries and apples this year out the wazzooo! (LOL)

We only get apricots about every 5-6 years as they are the first thing to bloom in the early Spring and they almost always get nailed by a late killing frost.

 

[grapeman]

Are you sure you are past all killing frosts for the year? This has been one crazy spring! Here's hoping you have seen the last freeze for the year.

 

[ibglowin]

May 7th is our average last frost date so technically no! I was telling Dan that we have had 6" of wet snow on Mothers Day weekend on a couple of occasions in the 26 years I have lived here as well.

Looking at the 10 day long range forecast things look just fine (as in not even close to freezing).

Never say never as they say!

 

[rhoffart]

Very nice Mike, we skipped spring here. I have about 2 feet of vines on the ones I planted this winter. Are you getting grapes this year?

 

[ibglowin]

I hope to get a few harvested here at the house and then I am up in the air as to whether to give local grapes another try or make the long trip back to FVW again..... It all depends on how well the harvest is down south and if they can accommodate me after shutting me completely out last year. Hopefully FVW will forget the nightmare of last year and order again. Tonight I transferred my Malbec and Cab Franc out of barrels and back to Carboys and then transferred two more back in. These have been in for 4 months ( I waited 3 months to finish MLF, it was COLD in the winery!) The taste test is quite amazing for 7 month old wine. The acid levels are perfect, the oak is just about perfect. Its still young but man they are in a whole different league compared to the Deming fruit I bottled 2 months ago. They (the 2010 Deming wines) turned out pretty good IMHO for a first effort but this batch is looking way ahead in so many ways. I would like to think its the winemaker and how far he has come in another year but.......

I think the fruit has something to do with it as well!

 

[Mike89T]

OK,

Took a few snaps yesterday afternoon just to make snow boy "Runningwolf" even more jealous!

We are supposed to hit ~85 degress today then cool back down to a much more closer to normal 70 for the rest of the week.

Ha! We hit 100 last week here in the Phoenix area. I'm so not ready for summer.

::

 

[ibglowin]

I love Scottsdale! .......

In January!

 

[saddlebronze]

I was in Arizona last week hitting wineries and it was hot! Ended the week in Mesa where it was 104 on Saturday. Glad to be back in the Northeast where it was snowing yesterday. The wine in AZ was good, but about 10X a bottle over what I can make it for in the lab here.

 

[ibglowin]

Very "boutique" industry in AZ thus the $$$. Did you stumble across Caduceus by chance?

 

[ibglowin]

Little cool front came through yesterday afternoon. Temp this AM was 37! Felt chilly but I think were OK and looks like it will just warm up more as the week progresses. Vines are looking good, the more mature vines are definitely slower to break bud than the younger ones. I have a Marquette up by the patio that is way father along than those in the wine garden. I suspect the temps are a little warmer up by the house. Everybody is looking happy and ready for the new season!

 

[grapeman]

Mike can taste the grapes now!
Looking good there. I'm glad the buds haven't opened much yet here. It was 27.9 here this AM after 26.4 yesterday and 30 the night before that. We are expecting a warmup again now.

 

[ibglowin]

Saw your post about your low temps and was hoping you were behind me! That would have been terrible! I hope the older the vines get the slower they break bud!

 

[OilnH2O]

And how are YOUR babies handling the transition to... uh, "warmer" temps??!!

 

[ibglowin]

Thunderbolt and Lightening! Very Very Frightening!

Funny you should ask. The front that has been lolly gagging around since Monday morning finally decided to push through last night around 8:00PM. We had a wonderful rain last night that dumped around an inch or so with no hail thank goodness. Lots of thunder and lightening as well through the evening. This morning on my drive in to work there is snow up on Pajarito Mountain (the ski hill) at around 10,000 ft. Temp this AM was 39. Talk about some great sleeping weather! I grabbed my camera this AM and took a few quick snaps to show the progress to date. You can tell a Marquette from a Corot Noir or Noiret from 10 feet (or more) at the moment as the Marquette has fully busted out leaves and shoots and the Corot Noir and Noiret has tiny leaves still, not much if any shoot development but clusters are already forming on what has developed to date. Everybody looks happy and healthy. I hit them all with a little dose of fertilizer this weekend to help them get going. I may have to do some cluster thinning on some of the vines!

Very excited for the Summer. Our oldest daughter is getting married this Summer (August 25th) and she decided she wanted an out door wedding at home in our backyard. The vines will be the back drop for the ceremony. The grapes should be just about ready to pick by then, perhaps a few weeks away in mid September or so. Should have around 75-100 guest on hand.

I think I have the wine covered! I will order up some special labels for the occasion to put on the bottles we choose to drink. I have 6G of Gruner Veltliner and 6G of Sauvignon Blanc that will right at 6 months old by then so hopfully that will be good to go. Otherwise I have a good amount of Pinot Griego, Chardonnay, White Rhone Blend, and of course loads of 2+ year old red wines. More later!

Her are some pics from this AM.

 

[grapeman]

Those babies are growing right along. That should look great for a backdrop for the wedding. Have a great time hosting it and "getting rid of her". Errrhh, I mean giving her away!

 

[Rocky]

Very excited for the Summer. Our oldest daughter is getting married this Summer (August 25th) and she decided she wanted an out door wedding at home in our backyard. The vines will be the back drop for the ceremony. The grapes should be just about ready to pick by then, perhaps a few weeks away in mid September or so. Should have around 75-100 guest on hand.

Mike, not sure why but I had a picture in my mind of you as Steve Martin in "Father of the Bride" when I read your post. Congratulations and I am sure it will be the event of the season. Take lots of pictures for us.

 

[ibglowin]

Thats one of our favorite movies and have watched it many times. There will be moments for sure that will seem like a cameo from the movie. It should be an interesting few days as the groom and his family descend on little "LA" from Beverly Hills (Big LA). The groom while not working in anything to do with Hollywood has HUGE Hollywood DNA in his veins from his paternal grandfather and grandmothers side. We just hope they don't come in and try to take over the big day......

The bride and groom both want a "California Casual" affair for the guest while the bride and groom will be decked out in proper wedding day attire. It will be a catered affair with a small marquee as well. Stay tuned!

 

[OilnH2O]

Pictures of that might be a FIRST for the Grape Growing and Vineyard section of the forum!

 

[ibglowin]

We had a cool front push through yesterday morning after trying for 2 days. We had winds the last 2 days in the 40-50mph range. This AM the low was 35 for a short period of time but looks like everything survived without any damage (including my tomatoes!) Here are a few updated pics of the vines and clusters forming up nicely. Hoping tomorrow is a warmer morning than today and not a colder one!