Friday, April 17, 2009

Last but not least.

Today, I noticed budbreak in our Cabernet sauvignon. We probably will still have a couple of incidences of frosty mornings but this fortuitous late budbreak in Cabernet is one of the reasons it is so successful in this part of the world.
The King of Vitis still reigns supreme.

4 comments:

Craig Justice said...

Frost? It may hit 92 degrees here in San Diego on Monday. Well, at least that will kill the mildew. Northern California Cab is wonderful... never had a Southern CA cab that I liked. Happy, glorious Spring to you!

phlegmfatale said...

oooooooh, pretty!

Marc Winitz said...

Always a great sign. Good luck on a great year.

--Marc

Vinomaker said...

Despite the warm ambiant temperatures of the last couple of weeks, the soil temperature is what alerts the vines as to when to wake up and get their buds going. The heavy clay soil here in this part of the Valley acts as a refrigeration device in retarding bud break, particularly in this Cab block which is at the lowest point in the vineyard. As much as I would like to see the vines have a longer growing season, the frost is more of a problem. Farming is about trade-offs each year that result in new combinations affecting the fruit and offering new challenges for the winemaker.