harvest reports
Harvest 2005
You might say that in 2005, Mother Nature made reparations with winemakers for a small and difficult 2004 vintage. In contrast to the previous year, 2005 proved to be generous in providing both a pleasant growing season and a healthy crop of beautifully-formed and evenly-matured clusters. The wet spring ensured robust canopy growth to protect against any weather extremes that may occur in the late months of summer. Predicting a large harvest, our vineyard crew liberally dropped extraneous clusters, promoting concentration in the fruit remaining on the vine. Even summer temperatures in Spottswoode’s warm St. Helena microclimate ripened the fruit slowly and steadily—ideal growing conditions forming balanced acidity and ripe sugar. We look forward to the very high quality of the resulting wines!
—Rosemary Cakebread, Winemaker
