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| GlenLyon
Clan Notes - November 2000 |
| If
you read the September edition of
Clan Notes, you know we were projecting the earliest harvest on record
... somewhere around September 15th. So much for projections. We began
picking Syrah in Block #2 on October 23 and finally brought in the
last of the grapes on November 2nd... the latest harvest date in GlenLyon
history. Unseasonably mild end-of-summer weather and early sporadic
rains meant that the grapes stayed on the vine a full five weeks longer
than we expected. The good news is that the additional “hang
time” added to the character and complexity of the Syrah clusters.
The even better news is that the destemmer/crusher didn’t fail
us this year, the wild yeast fermentation went well, and just a few
days ago we finished pressing out the new wine. As a result of the
fruit quality, there are some wonderful smells coming out of the new
barrel room these days. The 2000 Syrah may only be a baby, but it’s
our baby ... and its potential for adulthood is breathtaking and exciting
to watch. We’re tired from the long days and nights, our backs
are stiff from the heavy lifting, our arms and shoulders are still
sore from punching down the “caps” on the open top fermentation
tanks, and our hands (and the cuts on our hands) are still stained
dark red ... but there are also a lot of smiles of accomplishment
here at GlenLyon. It’s enormously exciting for us to know that
the “fruits of our labor” will be realized in time ...
because it’s just a matter of time until we can drink it!
Harvest and the 2000 crush are both history. All of a sudden the
days are short and the nights are cold and the nightly warmth of
the fire in the fireplace reminds us that Winterime is probably
our favorite time of the year. The leaves on the grapevines turn
an almost transparent yellow before dropping to the ground for the
wind to blow away and between each row of vines there is a delicate
carpet of green cover crop that seems to grow overnight. It’s
a full two months before pruning begins and it’s a time for
us and for our vines to rest and gather energy for the next year.
For those of you who are on our mailing list, a newsletter about
the release date of the phenomenal 1999 GlenLyon Syrah will be sent
out just prior to the Holidays. For those one hundred members of
Clan GlenLyon, your promised special Christmas gift is in the works
and will be sent out about the same time.
Happy Harvest!
Squire
Fridell
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