Quiet morning, with everyone sleeping late. I'm finalizing my plans for harvest, including how I'll be able to rotate wines through my 40L barrel that will arrive soon. I have 11 gallons of 2018 Chilean Carmenere/Petite Verdot that'll go first. It's about ready to bottle, but needs a bit of oak. This fall, I'm doing 2, ~12 gallon batches - both field blends. One is a Zin/Petite Sirah. The other will likely be Touriga Nacional and something - probably Syrah, and maybe a bit of Tempranillo. Still waiting to see what will be available. I'm also getting some Virginia Viognier and Petite Manseng (Thanks, Fred!). These will be my first white wines from grapes. I may head over to Bull Run Winery (a daunting, 6 mile journey) this afternoon to grab some of their Viognier. Fred's friend is the winemaker there (and grape connection), and I want to sample their style.
I'm Also putting my supply order together for yeasts, nutrients and MLB. Getting excited for Harvest 2019!