We have been very busy lately here at Amapola Creek! The hot, dry weather brought on some very quick ripening, and quite a few of our grapes were ready to come in over the course of the last week.

This picture is of the last of the Belli Chardonnay to come in for the year. These grapes will be pressed and the juice fermented separately from the Chardonnay we brought in earlier in the season, even though they will ultimately be blended together into a single wine. The second round of Belli Chardonnay is comprised primarily of Dijon clone 76, which is a selection of Chardonnay that has a distinct minerality and a strong backbone of acid, which will nicely balance the tropical Rued and Robert Young clones we brought in earlier this year.

We also recently brought in our Cuvee Alis, which this year will be a blend of Grenache, Mourvedre, and Syrah. The different stacks of bins that you see above are the different varieties, we have to keep them carefully separated so that we know exactly what has been put into which fermentor. This year we were fortunate to be able to bring in all of the Cuvee Alis in a single day. Usually, these varieties of grapes ripen at rates different enough to require separate pick dates. Mourvedre, especially, is generally left out to ripen and brought in much later on its own. This year is very special, though, and we were able to bring in the entire blend at one time.

Things are still moving quickly here at Amapola Creek, don’t forget to check back soon for more updates!