Bloom is in the Air

BY VINCE VIDRINE

Bloom in the vineyard is one of the most important phenological milestones for every winegrower. Once the tiny white flowers explode from their little buds, you can pretty much set your timer for when you’re going to pick the grapes those flowers evolve into. The timeline depends on the variety, the climate, and the soils in which the vines are planted, but once you start working with a vineyard, you can begin to pretty accurately predict how long it will take each vineyard block to reach optimal ripeness.

Interestingly, once you know what it smells like, the scent of the pollen that grapevines produce becomes the easiest way to know when bloom has begun in each block. You can simply walk the rows and know immediately that it has started. And after this roller coaster ride of a spring, the delicate, sweet aroma of bloom is finally in the warm June air. It’s only here and there throughout our 20 or so acres of vines, primarily in Viognier and the warmest planting of Grenache. But with the consistent warm days ahead of us, we will surely start observing this annual milestone throughout the property.

One observation so far, and with it, a prediction, is that bloom has been sporadic from cluster to cluster and from vine to vine, and I think this will be a pattern we see throughout the coming week or two of bloom. Because of this, I believe we will likely see considerable variation in ripeness at the end of the season and, with it, deep complexity of flavors and textures. A bit of diversity in winegrowing, like all facets of life, tends to offer extra joy and thoughtfulness.

Bloom is also earlier than average, which almost assuredly means an earlier-than-normal harvest. This might foretell a riper and more generous vintage, but if cooler days arrive sooner in late summer and fall, that prediction might not hold. As always, we will have to wait and see what the season brings us.