An Unexpected Season of Blessings in the Vines
Sangiovese grapes at Kiepersol winery
Each season and each vintage at Kiepersol seem to come with its own personality. With buds coming out in early March this year, we saw a freeze in the vines where more than twenty people were awoken by a weather station or a phone call saying the vines are in need of our protection as blocks of the vineyard had hit a dangerous 33 degrees. A call no one wants to hear, but one where everyone rallies together to save the crop.
The campfires create a thermal layer in the vineyard that can shift the temperature a few degrees and this year that blanket of warmth truly saved a crop.
There's a waiting game after any spring freeze of several days to several weeks where we're not sure about the impact of the freeze on each block. In 2021 we lost the majority of our vines, not just the crop, but we lost the actual vines themselves to the deep freeze we call “snowpocalypse”. Replanting that spring with interesting new varieties that have the potential to be frost and disease resistant gave new understanding to the phrase “hope springs eternal”.
The energy and love from the campfire stokers back in March is now translating to healthy and abundant grapes on the vine. Once temperatures rose above 50 degrees it's like there’s a race on until harvest and the growth this year has been phenomenal.
The rain has significantly pushed a surge of growth in the grape clusters. Rain also helped to quickly grow the outstretched vines and lush leaves covering the precious fruit from sunburn throughout the summer. We’re looking forward to an average to above average crop volume for the 2024 vintage and it will definitely be a welcome reprieve from minute crops in 2021 and 2022.
Harvest will come fast with the grapes changing color in June as their sweet sugars build and we prepare for a fast-paced July and August in the vineyard. We invite you to come out this season and enjoy the beauty of the vines at the Grand Room at Kiepersol. If you are interested in helping with harvest starting in mid-July, contact us at crystal@kiepersol.com.
Kelly Doherty is the Branding and Marketing Director of Kiepersol. A photographer, graphic designer, and writer at heart, the winery and vineyard are the inspired backdrop for Kelly’s creative endeavors.
She holds a WSET Level 3 Award in Wines from the Wine and Spirits Education Trust and loves educating people about wine.
