Varietals

First Crush will offer red and white wine grape harvest experiences in 2010. We will offer one- and two-day harvest packages beginning with the first weekend in September and concluding in late October. The harvest dates are based upon historical varietal ripening dates. In order to produce a premium quality wine, the actual varietal types for each date will be determined by our winemaker and viticulturist closer to harvest.   The white wine varietals will be harvested in early September and the red wine varietals, late September through October.

White Wine Varietal: For our 2010 Grape Escape Harvest Getaways, our white wine varietal will be Chardonnay.

Red Wine Varietals: Our red wine Harvest Getaways will feature one of Paso Robles' three most popular red wine varietals: Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah, or Zinfandel.

We will post our specific Harvest Getaways Paso Robles vineyard locations where you will be harvesting your grapes, as chosen by our First Crush viticulturists, as we get closer to harvest.  Keep checking back here for updates!

Cabernet Sauvignon

The East side Paso has some high-quality Cabernet Sauvignon vineyards from where we may select our fruit. In these vineyards, particularly where cropping has been carefully matched with vine vigor, the fruit is usually ready for a mid to late October harvest. Various clonal selections on lean soils may produce small-berry Cab with deep color and fruit-forward flavors. Tannins in these Cabernets are often rich but not excessively dry, allowing the full flavor ripeness to easily express itself in the wine.

The trellis system being used is something we must consider when deciding where we will harvest this varietal. Overly exposed Cabernet fruit, especially on the south side of the canopy where cluster-face temperatures can be extreme, can cause sunburn and/or uneven color maturity in the end. Proper row direction, adequate, but not excessive canopy cover, a balanced crop load, and great photosynthetic potential are all factors that must be considered when finding the top-quality Cabernet Sauvignon grapes we will use in our First Crush wine.

Our monitoring of possible picking sites will involve paying close attention to irrigation scheduling and the rapidity of Brix accumulation. With proper attention, we will be able to harvest dark, ripe Cabernet grapes from a fine vineyard.

Zinfandel

An enigma of a grape variety, Zinfandel performs uniquely in various micro-climates, marching to the beat of its own drum. What we want to see is fruit that will provide ample acidity for classic wine styling, yet ripen to a fullness that will offer deep color, and fruit-forward richness. One of our favorite areas is in the far West side of the Templeton Gap, where cool temperatures and long hang-time may be just the combination we need for this top-quality fruit.

Another favorite vineyard location is in the El Pomar region. This is another site greatly affected by these afternoon breezes, although slightly less so than Westside site. Here, extremely fractured shale and limestone soils keep vine vigor low, allowing ample solar energy to focus directly into the cluster zone. Irrigation schedule directives are essential during the vintage to keep fruit hydrated during its lengthy ripening process.

Whichever vineyards are chosen for the vintage for First Crush winemaking, we can assure you that the decision has been made with the same precision, and attention to detail we intend to devote to our upcoming winemaking.