This week is the beginning of the ripening cycle for the vine. In the very earliest blocks of Pinot Noir  the berries are starting to turn from green to purple. This is one of those stages in vine development that are always referred to by their French names. This color change stage is called veraison. It's a pretty word isn't it? I start spending more and more time in the vineyard now. It is possible at this stage to see clearly the variation within the vineyard blocks and that information can be noted for better picking decisions at ripeness. For example in two of the three blocks I walked yesterday I saw section of the block that were behind in the color change. These sections will be sampled, and most likely harvested separately and later than the rest of the block. It is harder to notice these subtle differences later when all the berries and clusters are uniformly colored. It is only possible to see these variations when the veraison is 50-80% complete.

-Larry Brooks, Winemaker