@hanzellfarm vineyard report: So far we’ve enjoyed a pretty moderate growing season up here at Hanzell. We’ve had some hot days, but the nights have been very cool, allowing our grapes to slowly grow and ripen. We’re seeing some veraison, the part of the cycle where the grapes stop growing in size, the acid begins to decrease and the sugars begin to develop. The skins start to thin, and the colors change from green to a purplish hue for Pinot (which you can see here) and a paler green/yellow for Chardonnay. It’s at this stage that the elevating sugar levels make the fruit more appealing to birds and other critters. So next, we’ll place nets around each and every row of vines to prevent damage to the clusters. And then, we wait for Mother Nature to finish the cycle. When the grapes taste just right, we’ll get this harvest underway! #sonomavalleyharvest #sonomavalleywine #sonomavalleygrown #hanzellfarm #integratedfarming #biofarm #veraison #pinotnoir #oldvines #hanzellvineyards