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Hello Friends,

The Midnight Express has arrived in Napa Valley. For the first time in my 26 years of growing Pinot Noir here in Jamieson Canyon, we harvested at night. And I liked it a lot!

Here's how a night-picking event plays out.

11:30 p.m. - In the cool of night, crews and equipment assemble at the vineyard staging area. Three crews, three tractors, and lots of picking bins.

12:00 midnight - A flurry of activity as the 30-member crew fans out among the vines. With each picker wearing an LED headlamp, the vineyard looks like it's been invaded by fireflies. The interesting thing about these headlamps is the fruit becomes almost iridescent in the light and the clusters really pop out.

2:00 a.m. - The first truck arrives to pick up a load of filled picking bins.

7:00 a.m. - 25 tons of Pinot Noir have been picked and the crew calls it a night.

Harvesting grapes at night is ideal for several reasons. The temperature is quite cool, so the fruit is fresher and the flavors lock in. The harvest crews stayed fresh in the cool air as well, and it was a very clean pick. Happier crew, brighter fruit flavors and better wine -- you can see why I liked it so well!

This year's Elkhorn Peak harvest shows remarkable similarity with last year's. The moderate conditions here in Jamieson Canyon translate to great consistency in our crop benchmarks. The 2009 tonnage is identical to the prior vintage, and we wrapped up the Pinot Noir harvest on Sept. 10, the same as last year.

As for quality of the fruit, in 2009 we really hit the mark. The Brix (sugar) and acid levels were picture perfect! After a two-week fermentation, the new Pinot Noir has now been pressed off and put to barrel. All in all, it's been a terrific growing season in Napa's Jamieson Canyon.

Time to kick back, open a bottle, and toast all of you who enjoy great Pinot Noir. Hope you'll do the same. Thanks for following the Pinot Noir Chronicles.

Cheers,
Ken Nerlove
Owner and Master Grower
Elkhorn Peak Cellars, Napa Valley

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