Amalie Robert Estate Vintage Update: Bud Break 2019
Hello and Welcome, This is an Amalie Robert Estate Vintage Update: Bud Break 2019. A FLOG communication.
They're back. On April 18, after a long winter’s nap, the vines are starting to show signs of life. And pretty much right on queue, you have just mailed off your National Mathematics exam to Uncle Sam.
Why is it that the vines start to wake up when your dear uncle is collecting his due? Some have suggested making Election Day the very same day as Tax Day. Alas, that would take an act of Congress. The vines just need a little warm weather.
And some Farmin’ rain! We have had our share of that and more. The first two weeks of April saw quite the downpour here at Rancho Deluge. As a quick reminder, one-acre inch of rain is about 27,154 gallons and weighs in at about 113 tons.
Let’s break that down. An acre is 43,560 square feet and we farm about 35 of them. A football field, including the end zones, is about 57,600 square feet, so just about 1.32 acres. Now an inch, that is a pretty common measure. So just imagine an inch of standing water on top of a football field and that would be about 35,843 gallons.
Here at the farm, our 35 acres received around 5 inches of rain during April - before bud break. Temperatures were visiting the mid 30-degree mark and the cherry growers were praying that the intrepid little bees would venture out and pollinate their sweet little blossoms to prevent a very little harvest. Cherry trees are not self-pollinating, you see. Otherwise, it is going to be a short year for Willamette Valley cherries. They say cherries are a 2 in 10 crop. That means you make enough money on 2 seasons to ride out the other 8. That’s farmin’ in a nutshell.
Right, so the answer is 35 acres times 27,154 gallons divided by 1,452 vines per acre over 15 days will yield just about 44 gallons of water per vine, per day, every farmin’ day for the first couple weeks of Growing Season 2019. That kept Ernie off the tractors, which in turn saved on the diesel bill. A bit of a silver lining. But he will get his tractor time soon enough.
And so it begins. Tucking shoots and raising wires is next up on the agenda. Till in last fall’s cover crop then go back and plant a spring mix of Buckwheat and Vetch. We have taken the master farmer exam before. The questions are the same, but the answers change.
As far as the numbers go, don’t expect too much in the degree day category for April. But we did have both days of spring last week – the first day and the last day – where we breached the mid 70’s. Yeah, that was nice. Didn’t last though.
Our next big milestone will be when the vines begin to flower. That is usually in the first half of June, but not always. Vintage 2011 was an after vintage. As in flowering in July and a harvest after all the birds, rain and the rot. But it is all good - now. The wines, much like vintage 2007, are oh so pretty.
Once we see the flowers, then it is time to place your bets on a harvest date. Flowering plus 105 days in the Willamette Valley usually means Ernie can find something that is ready to bring into the winery so he can ferment it.
Kindest Regards,
Dena & Ernie