I wanted to put up a couple of pictures of our Pinot Blanc. You can see the spots of Botrytis on the clusters. My estimate is that 5-10% are currently affected with low to moderate severity. You can see it as a browning of the skins as they lose their integrity split and slip off easily. Also if you look carefully in the first picture you can see our cleanup crew, ants and wasps, hard at work. We do strive to maintain bio diversity in our LIVE certified sustainably farmed vineyards. Beneficial and predatory insects can help reduce the impact of vineyard pests and pathogens. We did manage to put on our OxiDate organic eriadicant today and will be working hard to keep this under control.

The Pinot Gris and Pinot Noir currently appear less affected. Grape vines have a complex systems of response to pathogen attack that include skin pigments and the antioxidant resveratrol, which help reduce their susceptibility to Botrytis; both are present in dark colored varietals.

On a positive note the overall weather picture seems to be improving with less rain and a number of sunny days in the mix. This last shot of fall sunshine will help us with skin pigment, tannin and flavor development.