As harvest wraps up across the West Coast, we sat down with Sashi Moorman to discuss the most recent growing season at Evening Land Vineyards. Here are his reflections on our 2021 vintage.
“Overall, it’s a very good vintage, both from the perspective of yield and quality. We always like to see that combination.” In short, the team is optimistic. After the confluence of COVID and nearby wildfires yielded an anxiety-ridden 2020 harvest, everyone was extra vigilant in 2021.
At Seven Springs, vineyard manager Jessica Cortell and her team faced some initial challenges. An early heatwave heightened everyone’s awareness. A second episode of scorching temperatures kicked everyone into high gear. “The second heatwave occurred after veraison. We knew that there could potentially be quite a bit of sunburn, so the team really rose to the occasion and went out to the vineyard and worked.” To mitigate any sun damage, the team tied down canes, wrapping them around the fruit zone to provide extra shade from the natural canopy. “Everyone wanted to make sure that we had the best fruit possible.”
“After tasting the wines yesterday, I can say that the wines are very ripe – they’re exceptional. They’re dark, they have excellent acidity, and they’re super fresh. It’s a great vintage for Seven Springs.” Building upon the success of the 2019 vintage, the winemaking team continued with the infusion method for the estate Pinot Noir and for La Source, which fermented with 33% whole bunches (one barrel was fermented 100% whole cluster).
Additionally, more detailed harvesting was implemented in the Summum vines. “There’s a subtle transition at the top of the vineyard, and when I was walking through those vines during harvest, I could tell that the fruit tasted different.” Ultimately, a decision was made to press that micro-parcel by itself (Sashi describes it as “entirely in a league of its own”). Similarly, the La Source vines, which are slightly younger and located just next to the Summum vines, really showed their stuff this vintage. “The wines are concentrated, with lots of acidity and low alcohol.”
In the cellar, the most significant change came when it was time to press the grapes. As soon as the wines were dry, a gentle racking and overnight draining of the tanks was implemented prior to pressing. “I can already tell from the wine in barrel that this change made a remarkable difference in our wines. They are more precise, show no reduction, and are very focused.”
Stay tuned via our email newsletters / social media channels for updates on how the 2021 wines develop throughout the year.
