Stage 1
August 27

Already halfway through August, the Semillon grapes have gone through "veraison," developing their color and furthering their flavors. The textbook perfect weather this month – warm days, sunshine and cool nights – is giving the grapes a nice, long and comfortable stretch of time to continue growing and building up their sugar content while awaiting the onset of botrytis.

Stage 2
September 12

Unusual weather patterns over the last week have sent everything from rain and thunderstorms, followed by straight days of high heat. The only residual effect to Dolce has been to further ripen the grapes. Although the rain was measurable, it was followed so quickly with hot weather that the vineyard dried out swiftly and no mold formed. That's just fine, though, because we like the grapes to be nice and ripe prior to the onset of botrytis.

The grapes continue to ripen, although a recent spell of cool weather slowed sugar and flavor development. The currently hot conditions - temperatures reaching into the 90-degree F range - will speed things up. There's still a long way to go before the grapes have reached the ideal brix and flavor levels, and by that time, we hope to be experiencing the cool, foggy and wet weather, followed by dry heat, which creates the perfect environment for botrytis.

The recent hot weather we've experienced (up to 100 degrees Fahrenheit) rapidly advanced the Dolce grapes, making them ripe and very flavorful. Although the days ahead call for much cooler temperatures and foggy mornings, there is no rain expected in the foreseeable future. The combination of rain, followed by a dry spell, is what encourages the infection of botrytis cinerea or "noble rot" in the vineyard, which is required to make Dolce. So, at this point, all indications are pointing toward a late November harvest, similar to last year, but much later than others.

This cluster perfectly illustrates the losses regularly experienced in the Dolce vineyard. Photographed in early November, the grapes are just beginning to illustrate some botrytis on individual grapes on the lower end of the cluster. The other grapes are so green, it is unlikely that they will develop botrytis, and it is far too late in the season for them to be harvested for another use.

Pictured in mid-November, the botrytised grapes are finally ready. Dolce is always picked by hand, and often only individual berries or partial clusters are harvested. The rest of the grapes are left on the vine. Numerous picking passes take place in the vineyard over a period of several weeks, usually beginning the second half of October and extending through Thanksgiving or later, as the grapes are ready at different times.