(Another) Year in the Vineyard Wine Blog, Week 27 with Wes Hagen, Clos Pepe

(Another) Year in the Vineyard Blog With Wes Hagen, VM/WM Clos Pepe Week #27: September 10-16 Loving the Weather, Testing the Grapes, Time for a Cocktail! To be honest, I can’t remember being so calm in the 3rd week of September.  Traditionally by this date we’ve already harvested two or three nights/mornings and have at least a fermenter cold-soaking at the winery.  But as many of you Californians are aware,  and anyone else that’s been paying attention to the Blog, we have had an extraordinarily cool, consistent growing season.  The berries are tiny, the crop is moderate (not small or big), the Brix is creeping up around a single digit per week, and the acidity is still quite high.  A few of the winemakers that are noted for their restrained style and lower alcohol, including myself, are looking at next week very seriously for bringing in our first Clos Pepe pinot fruit. The decision is made by walking the rows, tasting the fruit, and then taking the grapes’ chemistry into account.  The row-walking and fruit tasting is a personal journey