Sliding down the slippery slope toward harvest, winemakers and growers on the Central Coast spend hours each day contemplating their ripening grapes. Despite a rough spring fraught with both high heat and a cold snap, the 2008 vintage promises a deliciously juicy—if somewhat diminished—yield.
Among the locals patrolling their vineyards on a daily basis are Mike and Brooke Carhartt, farmers, winemakers, and the driving forces behind Carhartt Vineyard. With crush drawing near, the couple took a moment to share their thoughts on the current state of the grapes.
“I think the jury’s still out,” Brooke said, “because so many growers faced frost that did damage, and they’re relying on secondary and tertiary sets for their crop.
“Harvest could be two to three weeks later than normal,” she added, “and yield may be down a bit.”
The cold wave that swept across the Central Coast in late May delivered temperatures as low as 27 degrees F. on three mornings running. Even sprinklers deployed to protect grapes against the icy air can only boost ambient temperatures by a couple of degrees, which wasn’t enough to save many tender blossoms and fragile early fruit sets.
Across from the Carhartt’s mesa-top vineyard in the Santa Ynez Valley, Buttonwood Farm Winery’s vineyards suffered rime in unprecedented places. One area oldtimer, Slim Colombo, had to think back to 1933 to recall a similar spate of late spring frost.
At 11 Oaks Vineyard, a three-acre block of Sangiovese that Mike farms nearby, the pernicious cold took its toll on the nascent fruit.
“One whole block got fried,” he said. “We’ll probably get three tons off it, if we’re lucky. But it’s farming, it comes with its share of risk.”
Gazing out over the Carhartt’s 10-acre mesa-top vineyard, planted mostly with Syrah and Merlot, a casual observer sees a billowing expanse of lush, healthy vines. A closer, vine-by-vine look, however, reveals fruit clusters made up of both fat berries and the tiny, ball-bearing-like bits known as grape shatter.
“The frost didn’t affect our vineyard,” Mike said, “but the heat sure did. It came during bloom and had a strong effect on the Merlot, causing lots of shatter.
“Bordeaux varietals are susceptible to shatter,” he continued, “and I’m thinking we may get two tons of fruit off the whole block, when we should have gotten six.”
Mike, who admitted that he visits his vineyards “14 times a day,” began growing grapes in 1996. He and Brooke planted their vineyard on Mike’s family property, part of the old Rancho Santa Ynez and Mike’s childhood home.
“I was a full-blown cowboy,” he smiled, describing his youth, “and the place was famous. We had roping arenas and people would bring in their horse trailers on Sundays and do jackpot roping.
“I grew hay,” he laughed, “but we could never grow a good crop of hay here.”
When the couple planted grapes, they committed to farming sustainably, using compost and nitrogen-fixing cover crops to keep the soil healthy.
“We have a passion to grow the best fruit we can,” Mike declared, “and with that comes a lot of expense in labor. Not just from a price standpoint, but from a yield standpoint. With Merlot, we get 1.6 tons per acre—great quality and it makes great wine—but we spend $5,000 an acre to grow it.”
And then comes harvest, also known as crush, which is an apt description for both the fate of the grapes and the pace of activities.
“It’s a ton of work,” Mike said. “You work 10- to 14-hour days and you get really tired, but it’s worth it. We truly are the epitome of hands-on, because we do it all: farming, crush, winemaking, distributing, bookkeeping, and working the tasting room.”
Carhartt Vineyard produces about 2,000 cases of highly regarded wine a year. Mike and Brooke bottle seven different varietals, including Pinot Noir and Zinfandel, the only two they don’t grow themselves.
“Every growing season is different,” Brooke said. “You never know. This year’s mostly been good weather for grapes, with days in the mid-80s, cool mornings, and nice afternoon breezes that kick in and cool things down.”
Leaning against a dusty farm truck, Mike cautioned, “It’s all about ripening to the right sugars. You can have great weather all summer and the season can go down the tubes in the last two weeks.
“There’s a real alchemy to taking soil and turning it into gold,” he said, “something for celebratory purposes. The whole year’s cycle of growth, from root to grape to wine, it’s a magical thing.”
Sip some magic with K. Reka Badger. E-mail her at rekabadger@hotmail.com.
This article appears in Aug 14-21, 2008.