Tweaking the pinot trials

The weather this week has been wonderful and we are supposed to get another few days of it at least.  Looking at some cloudy, hot days coming up which is not ideal as the humidity tends to promote the growth of powdery mildew.  However our vines have been looking clean and Sebastian sprayed earlier in the week so we should be well protected.  Mary and I walked the vineyard on Wednesday and the grapes are just entering seed hardening which some varietals being further along than others.  What concerned me more was the variation between vines.  Two plants right next two each other could appear to be two or three weeks apart in the worst cases and this could give us problems at harvest if the lagging vines do not catch up.  One option might be that at veraison, when the grapes start to change color, that we will cut off the lagging fruit so that it doesn't effect the ripeness of the juice when everything is picked at harvest.  But for now here are this weeks cluster pics.

In the winery I did set up the fining trials but at the writing of this I haven't tasted through them.  That's next on my list.  On Wednesday I visited Jerry at Van Duzer Winery and he gave me a few more products to try so I will be setting those up as well.  I know most products will not have the effect I am looking for but it is a good chance for me to learn what they might do to a wine, building my list of tools for the future.  I'll let you know which ones work out, if any.  Then it will be on to the next step, how does a treated barrel effect the whole blend.