May 2001

          The fall of 2000 saw a few light rains before and during our harvest but never enough to cause significant problems and overall grape quality was very good. However, variable weather during the prior spring resulted in uneven fruit set and our crop quantity was quite small.
          Snow, rain, hail and very cold frost followed our dry early winter. So, while rainfall finally can be termed adequate, some frost damage occurred. A few places lost major portions of their crop but it appears that most sustained only minor damage. However, the full extent of losses cannot be determined until June, when pollination is complete.
          Mayacamas 1998 Chardonnay, 1999 Sauvignon Blanc and 1996 Merlot are now available.
          Chardonnay picking started quite late here in 1998 (September 23rd) but proceeded steadily and the crop was finished on October 26. Sugars and acids were very good and pH balance was excellent. The resulting wine gives every promise of long life, which will give it the time necessary to develop the full Mayacamas style. Hints of mixed woods give way to perfumes of fig and citrus in the nose, which follow through in the flavor, to be joined by a little apple nuance. Lively and delicious right now, this wine will not attain its full complex depth and richness for about five more years.
          Our 1999 Sauvignon Blanc was picked in late September. It has the usual Mayacamas low pH which makes it tart and fresh. A tangy, mineral character in it is complemented by a touch of melon and grapefruit. Youthful and appealing now, it will enter its prime in two or three years.
          This years' Merlot offering, the 1996, is typically Mayacamas. Much richer and more intense than most Merlots, it will live for fifteen or twenty years, at least. A suggestion of raw almonds in the nose combines with powerful berry fruit character in the mouth to give a deep lingering finish.
          Edna Bryant, Mayacamas resident for 37 years, is moving to Hawaii. We will greatly miss her intelligence, affection, warm good humor and entire persona. But being near her daughter, grand daughter, and new great grand daughter will be a true joy for her, and for them. All who know her wish her bon voyage but not goodbye, for many of us are already planning to visit. Aloha, Edna!
          The vagaries of weather, pestilence, etc. in farming make it a frequent gamble, sort of like wine selection, which reminds me of a passage in A.J. Liebling's great tome, "Between Meals." In it he said, "Wine drinking is more subjective than horse racing and nearly as subjective as love, but the gamble is less; you get something for your money no matter what you pick."