An End of Summer Update
from John Olenik
Goodbye Summer, Hello Autumn!
As we’ve bid farewell to Summer 2021 we’re excited to welcome Autumn. We made strides from where we were last year, our first year on the new vineyard. This summer we hosted a number of tastings on the vineyard; some with new acquaintances, others with great friends and familiar faces. It was a blast to introduce our vineyard to guests walking through the vineyard and answering some of their questions about Oregon viticulture; from how grapevines are grafted to when we can expect our first fruit.
Our young vines have really taken well as there is tremendous energy in the Jory, aka red soils, this has manifested itself in the vigorous growth of the young vines; especially in year two. This year our vineyard manager and crew focused on soil nutrition; building nitrogen content and using the trellis wires to train the vines and establish a strong trunk which will be the backbone for young vines in the years ahead. We’re excited to see what next years’ growing season holds for us as we anticipate harvesting our first fruit!
Susan and I were able to visit our son Brian and his family in San Diego in late July. It felt good to have quality time with our son Brian, Lelia and our grandchildren. We saw a few friends but was most important was allowing Susan to spend time with her mother, Yolanda. We’re happy that we did as her mom passed peacefully just three weeks after our visit. We will pay tribute to Yolanda’s life by sharing many of her delicious Argentine recipes that Susan has learned and I’ve had the good fortune to enjoy!
We also had an opportunity to bring our eldest grandson, Joseph Andrew, back home with us to Oregon. We had a great time together and hope we can do it again next year. He’s a fine young man but growing up way too fast!
While we had a great spring and summer, excluding those three days of record breaking heat, we’ve come to savor this time of year when the temperature dips to the 60s and 70s. Hard to believe that harvest is almost behind us!
This year has shaped up to be a one to remember as the growing season has been like those of years past.
Long days, fairly even fruit set on the vines and negligible weather issues to deal with. Especially in light of where we were just one year ago as fires burned close by and smoke filled the Willamette Valley. It proved to be a test of wills and skill to see how winemakers made vintage specific decisions which affected their annual wine production. What a difference a year makes!
And so now, we have our Chardonnay “in the barn” it looked beautiful coming in the door and now fermentations are underway. We’ve been monitoring Pinot Noir in two separate vineyards as harvest is a few days away. From what I’ve seen and tasted, we’re expecting this year’s Pinots to be quite impressive affording us the opportunity to showcase a few, very special vineyards as we anxiously await our first harvest of both varietals next year. Here’s to a wonderful harvest this year and hope for continued success to our friends and winemakers here in Oregon wine country!
-John & Susan Olenik