Willamette Valley Vineyards Begins 2024 Harvest
Before the sun was fully up on the morning of September 5th, our vineyard stewards gathered at Bernau Estate Vineyard in the Dundee Hills to pick Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier grapes for Domaine Willamette’s biodynamically farmed sparkling wines.
Vineyard stewards picked the grapes for our sparkling wines first so the grapes retain their acid levels and the sugar levels don’t get too high. A stretch of high temperatures last week contributed to the continued ripening of the grapes, which is great for our overall harvest but signals that it’s time to pick fruit for sparkling wines. Methóde traditionnelle wines, such as those from Domaine Willamette, are known for high acidity, contributing to their effervescence and crispness.
Vineyard stewards picked grapes in the early morning, paused for the day before temperatures got too high, and started up again on day two.
“We’ll let all of the Pinot Noir grapes that aren’t for our sparkling wine hang out through the 90-degree days,” said Terry Culton, Willamette’s Director of Winemaking & Vineyards. “It is cooling off again this week, which will give those vines more time to mature naturally and gently and be ready to make some premium Pinot Noir.”
Although the 2024 growing season started out cool, a warmer August caught the vines up and led to a fairly standard harvest schedule, Terry said.
“The grapes are growing, looking mature and the vines are very happy and green,” he said. “This is turning out to be an excellent 2024 vintage.”
Over 20 bins of Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier grapes traveled from Bernau Estate Vineyard to the Estate in the Salem Hills on the first day of harvest.
Over 20 bins filled with grapes traveled from the Dundee Hills to our Estate in the Salem Hills after the first day of harvest. These grapes were immediately pressed for juice as they began their journey to becoming our 2024 Domaine Willamette sparkling wines.
The winemaking team gathered as the bins of grapes arrived at the Estate, just hours after being picked. They poured a little bit of our sparkling Brut onto the first grapes and made a toast to the beginning of the 2024 Harvest.