There's a gap in between

We didn't harvest any more fruit today, but we pressed off what came in yesterday.  And by "we" I mean the guys in the cellar did.  Meanwhile T and I were back out in the vineyards cluster sampling.

T was off collecting Cabernet Sauvignon on Diamond Mountain, where the view was so lovely he had to put his bucket down and sit on this bench and say to himself "sometimes hard work gets rewarded".  Because how can you come across a bench like that, in the middle of the vineyard and not sit on it.

I held down the fort by collecting Malbec on the SLD (Stag's Leap District).  This is my favorite vineyard in this area.  I like seeing the carpet of green, it makes me want to run my fingers through it.

Once in back in the lab we set about the usual business, except that those two varietals together look hilarious.  The giant Malbec leaves makes Cab look adorable.  Malbec has giant gum ball sized berries and loose clusters.  The Cab on the right has smaller berries and is more compact.  In school we learned (or were supposed to learn) how to identify 35 different varietals by only looking at the leaves and clusters.  I can still do a pretty solid 6.  We look at the shape of the leaf and the vein pattern, the sinuses, how smooth or rough it is, how hairy the back is, etc.  But Malbec and Cab are the most obviously different and easy to remember.  

Even now, years later, whenever I look at a Cab leaf I can still hear my apelography professor saying "punch hole sinuses!".  Also, Chardonnay has naked veins.  We don't make Chardonnay, so if you want to see some naked veins, you're in the wrong place.  

The nano is there for scale.

Today's Tunes: In the vineyards I used the sweet sounds of Beirut pass to the time, while T enjoyed the upbeat rhythms of Taylor Swift, because he is confident in his manhood.

Up Next: The weekend! Pretty soon we will be working weekends, but not yet!! Which means many exclamation points are in order. Also, the boys have a few extra days to get their beard on, so I expect to see some serious stubble on Monday.

-L