We spent time in the Broken Leg vineyard last week - inspecting the Syrah portion for frost damage. It is not as bad as we expected but it isn't good either. Cluster count is way down and the ones that survived aren't in great shape. Many berries didn't set.

The potential upside is that the fruit that does pull through should ripen (always an issue at Broken Leg) and could be very intense.

Steve, the owner and vineyard manager, had a crew up thinning, positioning, leaf pulling and mowing (check out the tracked tractor required for this vineyard).


We also spent time walking the upper vineyard. Steve grafted this over to pinot to our specification in June. The buds look like they have generally taken. Grafting over a vineyard gives one year with no production and a second year with low production and some impact from the previous varietal. It should be interesting to see what next years grape taste like and the resulting wine. A pinot with viognier nuances - should be interesting.