Picking Rodgers Creek Pinot Noir Wednesday:

Fasten your seatbelts and return your tray table to its full upright and locked position. Wednesday morning, Rodgers Creek Pinot Noir touches down at The Foundry. While we don’t expect the contents of overhead bins to shift, the picking bins have already tilted from TWF to the vineyard. Well before sunrise, vineyard crew members will don headlamps and carefully hand harvest clusters. Upon completion, the bins will be loaded onto the truck and trekked across Carneros to the winery for sorting.

Flavor, Forecast and Chemistry

Patrick and Paco don’t determine a harvest date simply by aiming for a particular sugar or acid level. It boils down to the wine trinity of Forecast, Flavor & Chemistry. With one eye glued to the weather, the winemakers analyze cluster samples in Arley’s lab while tasting, tasting and tasting berries in search of the characteristics they feel best represent the vineyard. Based on the most recent cluster samples, they’ve determined tomorrow is the best day to pick.