Three Feathers Record Harvest after a beautiful 2021 Vineyard Season
Three Feathers Record Harvest after a beautiful 2021 Vineyard Season! What a season we had this year! Our vineyard bore large luscious and plentiful clusters of Pinot Noir and Pinot Gris, despite several weather scares and lack of rain.
After the disastrous fires of 2020, every one in the Willamette Valley was nervous about their vineyards. Spring of 2021 was dryer than normal which added to the anxiety. When we did finally get some rain, it coincided once again with the bloom of the vines in the valley. Subsequently, we experienced a short but extreme heat wave that burned exposed clusters. Thanks to our high-elevation sites on Chehalem Mountains, we avoided issues with bloom and heat.
Our vines powered on through it all.
The oldest vines, planted 10 years ago at Torio Vineyard, are reaching full maturity and production. Their roots are deep and find water even in the driest year. They are on the north facing slope so they get cool winds.
Our youngest plants, the Précoce, Pinot Gris and 115 Pinot Noir at the Three Feathers site are all catching up and producing nicely. Although some blocks are not yet at full production, every block produced fruit, making a significant contribution to the harvest.
We benefited from the help of a crew at Three Feathers making it possible for us to concentrate our energy at Torio Vineyard. Elise, Francois, Felix and Torio all came to help in May, June and July and we worked throughout that time (watch video) with only a few breaks.
2021 Harvest Highlights
Harvest started a few weeks earlier than in the past. Our first pick took place on September 16th of the Précoce (Pinot Madeleine) block at Torio Vineyard. These early ripening grapes made a fabulous wine in 2020 – our first single-clone vintage from this block – and they really surpassed our expectations this year. We were pleased to have an even bigger yield in 2021 (2 tons) to make our 2021 single-clone Madeleine wine.
Our next pick was the Pinot Gris on September 24th. There was a last season burst of heat that the day, reminding us of summer. We harvested 3.4 tons of Pinot Gris; a nice addition to our cellar of this very popular wine (purchase our 2021 vintage Pinot Gris here).
The last pick for our wine production was a small amount of 667 and 115 clones of Pinot Noir combined that we will blend to create a new Pinot Noir flavor combination, adding to our exploration of the possibilities of this grape and our site at Three Feathers. Clusters were exceptionally large and succulent.
The balance of the 37 tons harvested went to buyers.
Although summer is now a distant memory, and fall seems shortened by steady rains and wind blowing the fall colors to the ground, our hearts are warmed by thoughts of the successful vineyard season, prospects of excellent wines to come and continuing relationships with all of you who made this possible.
Many thanks to all who contributed to this vineyard season. 2021 is history!
