Vintage Factors

The growing season opened in late March on a note of suspense, with early bud break and threats of frost, which were mitigated by wind machines. Perfectly timed spring rains then allowed for a superior bloom of the clusters in early June. Beginning in early July we received 7 weeks of ideally warm and dry weather. Manual watering took place in some parcels with low water retention, and in mid-August we received needed rain. Harvest took place at optimal ripening times for each vineyard sector between August 14th and September 21st. Overall, 2021 endowed us with some of the most admirably balanced wines we have produced, reminiscent of the elegance we saw in Octagon 2009, which brought us our 4th Governor’s Cup.