September 2004

         This growing season, abundant winter rain was followed by a very early start to spring. That warmth gave way to a cool June and then the usual seesaw of temperatures which generally kept vine activity at a brisk pace. An early August heat spike brought some of our Chardonnay to full ripeness in a hurry so we started picking on Friday, the 13th of August, our earliest ever start to harvest. Although considered an inauspicious date, we felt lucky that we were ready in time. The fruit looks very good.

Our 1999 Cabernet Sauvignon is now available, but without the usual year younger Pinot Noir to accompany it. The phylloxera root pest decimated our Pinot Noir vine blocks in the late 1990's. We are hoping to have some production back this year, since we replanted the vineyard right away. But until that wine is aged in oak, and then further matured in the bottle, there will be no Mayacamas Pinot Noir.

That is a sad story but the 1999 Mayacamas Cabernet Sauvignon is a subject we much enjoy. A highly regarded vintage early on, many 1999 wines are generously fulfilling their promise. The growing season of 1999 was cool and the Cabernet picking didn't start here until October 5th. Several rain storms intervened and our last Cabernet Sauvignon grapes were not harvested until November 2nd, very late indeed. Cabernet is the hardiest of the great wine grapes and it withstood the repeated cold, wet weather a lot better that we grape pickers and stompers. The resulting wine is rich and concentrated with the deep aromas and flavors of our dark mountain fruit. It is also layered with the typically earthy, brambly notes of our terroir. In the traditional Mayacamas style, the wine has the balance and structure to last and improve for a long time, at least another decade. As usual, we have blended a little Cabernet Franc and Merlot into the 1999, about 2% of each this vintage. For the next five years, we suggest aerating this wine for at least an hour before serving in order to develop its full flavor and texture.

The 1993 Mayacamas Cabernet Sauvignon is our library re-release selection this year. It is coming together beautifully and shows many of the characteristics of classic Bordeaux. Velvety on the tongue with clear hints of oak, it has depth, complexity and power plus a suggestion of raspberry in the finish. The blend here is 11% Cabernet Franc and 4% Merlot. Highly enjoyable now, it will live and develop further for at least 5 or 6 more years and probably longer.

We have a lot of wildlife in this area, and it adds to the fun of rural living. Much of our mountain property is very rugged and thus not planted to vineyard, so there is lots of natural habitat. Frequent sightings of deer and coyotes occur, with bobcats seen only occasionally. Even less often are the incursions of cougars and black bears. Red and grey foxes roam the territory and our bird life is very abundant. Turkey vultures, very nearly as big as the fabled condor, are numerous as are hawks (mostly the red tailed variety), crows, jays, woodpeckers and a multitude of smaller birds. An occasional eagle passes by, and wild turkeys have been introduced by Fish and Game in recent years; we see them with great regularity. Many grey squirrels inhabit the trees and two types of rattlesnakes keep us on our toes. King snakes and gopher snakes also abound and our field mice, gophers and moles make great snake food, I guess. Our raccoons love grapes, as do many of the birds and the deer. We fence the deer out and cover the vines near trees with netting to discourage the birds. The raccoons pretty much help themselves. All said and done, however, the wildest of our critters are still the wingless, two-legged variety, particularly on Saturday nights. Some say they are the fly in the ointment, but I think they are just the ointment.

Newsletter Archive:

• 2004 Spring
• 2003 Spring  Fall
• 2002 Spring  Fall
• 2001 Spring  Fall
• 2000 Spring  Fall