Harvest 2017

   This has been another hot, dry year in Montsant. I had to irrigate four times. The good news is we had a wonderful harvest! Our yield was a little lower this year (10%) but the quality was excellent. Most vineyards in Montsant were down 20-30%. I feel very fortunate that the Tost family is helping me.
   We picked on September 17th and, as usual, well ahead of other Carinyena producers in the area. The grape chemistry was perfect and I'm happier with this vintage than any other. After six years, I feel like we've finally found the right approach. Don't get me wrong . I've also been happy with past vintages but it seems like we've kicked it up a notch this year.
   The fermentations went well and there is now no malic and only a trace of sugar. I'll give it a few more days and then we'll put it to bed for a few months. The wine has been racked twice and smells and tastes really good! The tannin (which is always a problem with Carinyena) is exceptionally smooth this year.
   As you can see from the photos, we had a beautiful day for harvest. It started off cool (60F) and we were finished by noon (74F). As usual, Marc and Josep assembled a fast and professional crew. We had some of the same folks as last year and they did a great job! We were joined by Arnau who is my neighbor Remy's son. He and Marc are longtime friends. Arnau works as an auto mechanic in Reus.
   We arrived in La Figuera around 1:00 pm. Los Tres Caballeros (Joan, Pep y Albert) were there to receive the fruit. Another Pep, Rene Barbier's assistant winemaker, was on hand to help. The processing went smoothly. They have an interesting system where the stems are taken away by a vacuum/grinder mechanism. It works well but requires a little managing.
   Like always, I continue to learn as I go along. This continues to be an adventure and thanks to everyone!