23rd

Dear Friends,

Summer is winding down, with the sun rising later and setting earlier.  Our summer weather in Sonoma has arrived late, with the first days of 90-degree weather now in August.  June and July were an extension of Spring, with highs in the 70s and low 80s.  How does this impact this year’s grapes?  For sure, it will push back the first day of harvest to late September or early October, about two to four weeks later than usual, extending the time the grapes are on the vines.  From a winemaker’s perspective, the extended hang-time is a good thing.  Sunlight and UV radiation trigger the formation of many of the compounds that result in flavor and tannins. More days of sunlight result in darker berries with more flavor compounds and more tannins.  The result is a more complex wine with a rounder mouthfeel, and a richer, more intense flavor profile.

From a farmer’s perspective, the longer time in the vineyard carries more risk.  As we get into October, the chance of rain increases.  Usually in October, the rain is a small sprinkle that does not do any harm.  Occasionally, it may rain more heavily and precipitate an inch or more.  Rain on ripe grapes promotes the formation of mold.  Moldy grapes do not make good wine.  The last time this happened was in 2015 – we discarded all the moldy fruit first before going back to harvest pristine grapes the next day. This incident was a stark reminder of the unpredictable nature of winemaking, but it also showed us the resilience of our team and the quality of our grapes.  The resulting wine turned out great, but we had far less wine.

Here is hoping we continue to have the sun in our face and the wind on our backs for the rest of the year.

Summer is also the culmination of the winemaking cycle when we finally get our wine into bottles.  We successfully bottled our 2023 vintage Pinot Noirs and the 2022 NIRVANA and Syrah in early August.  Bottling is the most stressful time for any winemaker because there invariably is some problem.  While all our wine is grown here and aged here at Nicholson Ranch under our constant eyes (and nose), the bottles, corks, labels, and capsules all come from many sources from several countries.  Bottles are from Mexico or France, Corks from Portugal, labels (the paper) from Canada, and capsules from France or Spain.  All the distance leads to many a slip.  We order months in advance, anticipating logistical challenges.  We measure not just twice but three times.  Finally, the bottling day arrives when it all comes together – the wine flows from barrel to tanks to a modern assembly line of machines that fill each bottle perfectly, cork it, apply the capsule, and stick the label.  After a hopeful start, despite a few start-up hiccups, the line flows smoothly, and we package great wine into nice new, shiny bottles.

Your current wine club release has several great wines in nice bottles from the 2019 to 2022 vintages. We deeply appreciate your continued support and thank you for being a Nicholson Ranch club member.

Cheers

Deepak Gulrajani

Dear Friends,

I hope you are enjoying a wonderful summer with friends and family.  We are enjoying a fantastic season at Nicholson Ranch.  July and August brought the heat precisely at the right time, nourishing the vineyard from a wet winter and a cool spring.  The vines need the summer heat to grow their shoots and leaves to create a canopy of green to nourish the young fruit.

This year the fruit looks ideal, with two clusters per branch, each cluster full of berries (about 80 per bunch).  Twelve to fifteen bunches will make a bottle of wine.

But I am getting ahead of myself.

The following two months are critical in the development of the grapes. The Summer gives us whole clusters of grapes. They are raw, dark green, hard to the touch, and tart after completing their first development phase from flower to fruit.   In the next stage, the vines will focus on developing the berries’ sugar, color, and flavor.  The change in color of the berries from dark green to pink is the first sign of this change.  This change of color is one of the most critical events in the wine-growing season.  It is called veraison.  All winemakers mark their calendars because from veraison to harvest takes about six or seven weeks every year.  Veraison is the time that allows us to prepare for the upcoming harvest.

The grapes gradually make more sugar, and the skins turn from green to pink to an intense red.  The sugar content, called brix, is the easiest to track week by week.  A simple hand-held device measures the sugar to keep track of the progress.

The last phase of ripening is the development of flavor.  If the grapes taste like grapes, they are not ready for wine.  When ready to pick, Pinot Noir grapes should have strawberry, raspberry, and cherry flavors. These flavors express themselves at the end of ripening, over a short period, changing daily.  There is no hand-held device to tell you how much strawberry flavor is in the juice or what the mix of raspberry and cherry is.  The flavor decision is all up to the winemaker’s palate. When I taste ripe Pinot Noir grapes, it evokes memories of flavors from years past and the consequential wines.  Deciding whether the grapes are ready is instinctive and formed by years of experience.   The harvesting decision is the most significant decision a winemaker will make.  It is one that I wait for every year.

I am thrilled to share my passion and the fruits of our labor with you.  Thank you for your continued patronage and for allowing me to do what I love.  

This wine shipment includes the 2020 Dry Farmed Pinot Noir.  Along with all Nicholson Ranch 2020 Pinot Noirs, the Dry Farmed Pinot Noir has received excellent reviews from the Wine Spectator and Wine Enthusiast.    Your accolades are always the best, and it is nice to be recognized by our peers.

Cheers

Deepak Gulrajani