It’s somewhat amusing to look back at previous wine club articles to see what my predictions were prior to any given year’s harvest. This year, looking back at my article from the 2024 Spring wine club shipment, I wrote of how early the spring had started and how the early beginning of the 2024 wine grape growing season could signal an early harvest. Now as I write this piece in mid-September, harvest has arrived, not early or late, just simply right on time.

What does this on-time harvest mean considering the growing season had such an early start? Only good things. Although it was a slightly premature bud-break, the cooler than average June and mild summer slowed the vines growth and provided a longer-than-normal hang time for the fruit. Such a long hang time gave it ample time to mature and develop the intense flavor characteristics that make for a happy winemaker. Our winemaker, Michael Carr, has certainly been happy with the fruit received thus far, and the mild late-summer weather has helped to even prolong the harvest and hang time. We hope to harvest all our fruit by mid-October, and we look forward to letting all of you try the ’24 Vintage from the barrel as early as the upcoming Post-Harvest Party this November 9th and 10th.

While we are busy crafting the wines of our 2024 Vintage, we hope you enjoy the last club shipment of 2024. Two wines that are regularly served and enjoyed on the Roche dinner table, the non-reserve Pinot Noir and Chardonnay, are included in the shipment and the Longford Pinot Noir will be well served with an upcoming hearty fall meal. Please enjoy this last shipment of 2015, I look forward to seeing many of you at the upcoming Post-Harvest Party in November.