Jordan Estate Tales - Volume 10, 2015 - 30

THE

Thrill of the Chill
NIGHT HARVESTING CHARDONNAY
By Winemaker Rob Davis
It is 3 a.m. on a chilly September morning, and while most of
the rest of the country is sleeping, I am out in the vineyards.
My hands are tucked in warm gloves, I have my heavy coat
bundled up to my neck, and I'm studying our Chardonnay grapes
with a flashlight, the golden fruit glistening in the cold air.
All around me, vineyard workers are picking fruit, lined up like
soldiers along the dirt paths amid the acres of vines waiting to
be plucked. It is hard work, since only perfect grapes are to be
gleaned from the thousands of dangling clusters. One long-time
Alexander Valley grower says the best pickers are able to tell the
sugar content simply by the stickiness on their hands; a skilled
harvester can pick up to a ton and a half of fruit in a shift.
Since 2000, Jordan has focused on night picking our Chardonnay.
When I first started the nocturnal program, our team scratched
their heads. Most thought I simply liked working in the dark, but
really, it's all about temperature. Picking Chardonnay when the
fruit is cold has many benefits, from better flavors to, surprisingly,
happier workers.
Now, night harvesting is embraced as the best way to harvest
Chardonnay, with many of the finest wineries around the world
doing it.
Often, we start around midnight, working toward that sweet spot
of 3 or 4 a.m. when the Russian River Valley temperatures are at
their coldest. We like our fruit to be around 45 to 55 degrees for
the highest quality juice. Picking the fruit can continue when the
sun comes up, as long as Mother Nature cooperates with cold,
foggy weather into the morning.
During harvest, I camp on the hill above our crushpad, climbing
into my sleeping bag and tracking the temperatures. I can
actually feel the dramatic dip like a jolt of energy as cold, brisk
air creeps in-even after all these years, it is still exhilarating.

Jordan Russian River Valley Chardonnay grapes
harvested on an early morning in September.

30

http://blog.jordanwinery.com/2011/09/harvest-2011-videos-and-photos-from-our-first-week-of-crush/

Jordan Estate Tales - Volume 10, 2015

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Jordan Estate Tales - Volume 10, 2015