Harvest Blog - November 11th

It’s a wrap! Harvest 2021 is one for the history books. We finished picking the Arroyo Seco Pinot Noir and Chardonnay last week, and this week we’re turning to the last bit of Syrah from Hook Vineyard, some bound for the 2021 Lucienne Syrah. We’re also harvesting the last Grenache from Arroyo Seco, and we’ll finish with Merlot, always the last variety to come in. Our timing is ideal. The scant amount of rain we had last week didn’t affect the small amount of fruit still hanging, but it was time to bring it in. The grapes are ripe, and since our Pinot Noirs and Chardonnays are safely in barrel, there’s plenty of tank space. Plus, the outlook for the next several days is for cooler weather…Mother Nature is telling us it’s time to wrap it up!

Looking back, I have to say that 2021 is one of the finest vintages I’ve seen since I’ve been at Hahn. The growing season was smooth and uneventful, the weather was relatively cool throughout harvest, and the picking was evenly paced. The Pinot Noirs and Chardonnays that have gone dry taste incredible already, and our other wines show lovely fruit and good concentration.

I want to give a big shout out to our vineyard and winemaking crews who’ve worked so hard over the past ten weeks – and many weeks before that – to bring in another fine grape harvest. It’s a long haul of six-day weeks, and they did an excellent job of working together while also working around the restrictions we’ve put in place due to COVID. I’m happy to report that we’re all safe and healthy, and looking forward to the upcoming holiday season. 

And thanks to all of you who followed along on our harvest journey this year. We can’t wait to share the Hahn Family Estate wines of 2021 with you!

Paul Clifton
Director of Winemaking