June 26 I checked on the vines at the vineyard. The canes on many of the varieties are 1-2 feet long. The oldest vines, Ravat 34 and Leon Millot look good. They are now going into their fourth summer and the Ravat 34 (pictured below) have nice flower clusters many have two per shoot.
The
Leon Millot have finally shown some nice flower clusters on most of the vines (pictured below). These vines were grown in pots the first year then planted to the vineyard in the fall. I believe that the root system does not get the same opportunity to branch out this first year when grown in pots as it would have if they were grown in the ground. As such they are a bit behind in growth for fourth year vines, stunted would be the word. However, they are doing good this year.
The Blattners are also doing well this year. The petite milo is the best of the group with a cluster or two on nearly every cane and excellent growth. The Cab Foch is tentative as is the Cab Libre but there are a few clusters on the vines and the growth is good. We should get some idea of ripening times this year. There are also some clusters on the ortega and while the growth is poor we should get some idea of ripening time.
