Clos LaChance Wines

This is my first blogging experience. Forgive me for being short, but there are some Sauvignon Blanc grapes sitting in a picking bin right outside my office….ready to hit the press. Harvest officially started on Thursday with Sauv Blanc from the Estate Vineyard. We are running a few weeks early—this is the earliest harvest on record for the Estate Vineyard. The “official” record only goes back to 2002, but a record is a record, right?

The start of harvest is always a rush for me….anticipation about the quality of the grapes, breaking in a new crew, working hard (and playing hard too). The 2007 vintage looks to be a good one. The crop is balanced….not heavy like 2005 and not short like 2006. The weather has been perfect for grape growing this year (and pretty much for all fruits and vegetables in this region). Mid-to-low 80’s for a month. Last year we had heat-spikes of 110 degrees plus for about two or three weeks. It was so hot, the CLC staff would hang out in the barrel room to cool off.

We have a great crew this year. A good combo of seasoned veterans (Erica, Dimitar and Ulysses) and newbies (Jason, Edouard, Clement, Austin, Fernando). Vineyard managers Ben and Matt are critical players when it comes to my plan for a well-run harvest schedule—bringing in the grapes on time makes the day go that much smoother.

I like to take a picture of the crew on the first day of harvest. Eager. Excited. Rested. Smiling. Then I like to compare it with a picture of the last day of harvest. Tired. Ready for it to be over. But always proud of the wines that have been made.

You won’t be hearing from me for awhile. The grapes will keep rolling in probably through mid-October. I look forward to posting out 2007 Harvest results. We have some great looking fruit on the vines and hope to put some stellar wines in the bottle.