Early August, 2022

I popped over to Sonoma to check on the Primitivo. The block is up on a ridge overlooking the marshy northern end of the San Pablo bay. It was a bit early to take sugar tests- the grapes were just starting to finish verasion, but I wanted to see how long they had gotten. We’ve asked the grower to go through and cut out any grapes that are lagging too far behind the rest, because we want a bit more evenness in ripeness when harvest does arrive. Zinfandel is notorious for uneven ripening, even when it’s going under its Primitivo alias. I did try a grape, though. It was about as tart as I expected. All green and brash flavors, the good wine flavors were not yet developing. I’ll be excited to see how the vineyard develops as we get closer to harvest, though.