September 16 - September 22, 2012

	Monday September 17, 2012  10:00 Pm: The sugar tests for the Zinfandel today came in all over 24 brix so we will try some harvesting tomorrow. We will be cautious and bring in 0ne ton first and see if the sugar is really there. I am confident we will be happy since it will be September 18, even later than last year. i don't remember a start this late for awhile. i am concerned though, because in the past when we saw a good sugar reading from a test sample.......and then there was a period of temperatures only getting up to a high of 85....I saw sugars come in lower than we expected. Sugars and vines of course sometimes need a rest before going up. Does this mean that this will be a different year??....of course no year has been the same. Tomorrow we hope to bring in about 3 tons of Zinfandel but i will have a report on the first load about 10Am tomorrow morning..................if anyone is interested.............  Tuesday September 18, 2012  9:30 Am: We picked about one ton of Zinfandel from our old vines in the 3rd block. The sugar is lower than we wanted so we will stop for a week or so. Catarino did not understand me yesterday when he did the sugar test. He picked none of the less ripe bunches yesterday in the sample because he thought that was what I wanted. This morning he included the somewhat red bunches in what he harvested. The sugar came in at 23 Brix and we wanted 24+. There should be a swell up to 24 in a day or two but we would like to get more flavor by harvesting at a higher sugar. Ultimately it was my fault because I did not communicate satisfactorily with Catarino. We have at least 12 more tons to pick so we will be fine. 10:00 Am: Matt wants to make a soft or light Grenache so we will pick some today. I will have more info soon. 2:30 Pm: Ok this is what Matt wants to create. We had discussions but I let him go for it........We thinned Grenache, Barbera and Peloursin. The crop on everything but cabernet is heavy this year. Even though we thinned almost all varieties earlier this year, we still have too many bunches on the morning side that are touching together. We went through today and picked a ton of Grenache and about a little more than half a ton total of the other two. That gives us 1.6 tons of low sugar fruit. Overall we probably have about 21 brix which should give us a wine with an alcohol of about 12%. It will be light in color and have great acid. I will have more to report at another time. Unless the weather changes to higher daytime temperatures, we probably won't harvest again for 10 days. 9:30 Pm: I am thinking about our next harvest.....but i need a break, before the Giant game is further a long  so i can fast forward to see if any thing happens. I am starting to like Baseball again because the Giants are doing well....BUT really they only have won 57% of their games. I like football because there is action on every play....a pitch in baseball can go to another and can go on for 10 or 15 pitches. They all look the same if you are in the ballpark....I digress                    . i purchased several shares of AAPL, Apple stock last year and I have a 50% profit so i have to decide whether to take my profits or do some research. Everyone......including Pat, Susie, Matt and Kate, I suspect (if I asked her) are against my buying the new iphone 5 so I made them all upset because i did it. I  inherited Susie's rejected phone years ago. I hate it because I can't get it off unless I dig my pen into the very right spot. It has to be one of the first Bluetooth phones so i was surprised to hear that. It has to be over 5 years ago when it came out. I agree I don't use this phone but I am certain i will use this new technology. All who know me.....knows I get the latest and best, especially for the winery. We can go on, but I hate gloating. I will say only briefly, I was right about a Democrat President......when in power the market goes up. Should i sell....that is the question............ Wednesday September 19, 2012 9:00 Pm: I sent a letter to my sister Lynda yesterday because she does not respond to my many e-mails....she only gives me strange phone calls. She sent me a letter and it was strange again so my message back to her was please don't say negative things about me to our Mother..............I never say any thing negative to our Mother about her. I expect no return but I have hopes for my Mother, Vivien because she wants us to get a long. I am losing patience. Today was another complicated day I could document it but similar things have happened in the past...............not much went well on the internet connection....long story......Forchini called around 10:30 and said he wanted to bring in a sample for grapes we are custom crushing for Bruce the Wine Guerrilla. He was out here in 15 minutes, we agreed he was ready and in two hours we had 3 tons of beautiful Dry Creek Zinfandel. It is a young vineyard so it comes in early BUT that doesn't mean it is from less quality vines because they are only 5 years old. My experience is.... young vines can produce some of the best fruit, if thinned early and late. Andrew Forchini knows what he is doing but he is way too serious.... a very concentrated individual. He is another person I would trust.......... I want to make a new wine because I am impatient. I am thinking about a new Zinfandel based wine. I will dwell on it............ Thursday September 20, 2012 10:00 Pm: This morning It was officially 38 degrees in my weather box here since 1979. This was another involved day. Ken came over to upgrade some of my A/V stuff and i find I have to get him back soon. Then I definitely decided to make a new Zin. hey let's call it Dave's Zin for now. As you read earlier this week Catarino and I had a misunderstanding and we picked the wrong stuff. I could go on......but I improved on it today. I insisted that we should pick some more Zin, more selective this time and also add 25% Petite Sirah which was about 22.5 Brix. So we have one more ton to add to our new blend which will produce about 120 cases and will be exclusive for the wine club. The Zin was ripe. We have a lot of fruit left. It is getting late. This is my 34 fourth year......not one has been the same. Usually in almost all my 34 years we have finished harvesting zinfandel by now. What is important?....Who knows, it is not Global Warning around here. We have had several years of lower season high temperatures, so my guess.....it will be November before most of this county will be through Harvest....  Saturday September 22, 2012 What a difference a day makes!! It is Fall and the weather geniuses have decided NOW we will get some warmer temperatures. It is still cold in the morning but we should see many 90's next week. That will mean we should get in the rest of our old vine Zinfandel. That could also mean we may be harvesting every weekday for the next two weeks. Hope is eternal.
	Dave david@coffaro.com
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