A RECAP FROM Isabelle Clendenen

With Harvest coming to a close, it is nice to reflect on the season for Au Bon Climat and Clendenen Family. The first grapes of the season were Pinot Gris on August 25th. The next day Pinot Noir from Lalapanzi vineyard came in to kick off the reds. The last grapes are as of writing this yet to be picked, but they are looking to be in by the end of the week of October 12th. While the harvest was on the early side this year, we were lucky to avoid any crazy heat spikes that often can cause a bunch of fruit to come in at one time. The weather also allowed consistency for sugar and acid numbers from sampling to picking. Look forward to the shining bright acidity this vintage. 

Due to preparation for the changing of the guard next year, we saw different people stepping into new roles. Knox in particular really stepped it up this year by working harvest 7 days a week, most weeks. It was amazing to see how seamless the team has become. When asked to describe harvest in one word I was told “balanced” by Sarah, “clean” by Knox, “delicious” by Jim, “easy” by Enrique, and “manageable” by Marc. Lastly, for my harvest experience, I’ve been working on something fun that I’m excited about and looking forward to sharing with you when everything is finalized.