Harvest 2021 is in, 43 days from start to finish, wrapping up just before heavy rains set in. The first fruit, about three tons of Pinot Noir from one of our newest vineyard partners, Ninebark Vineyard in Gaston, Ore, came in on Sept. 7. The last fruit arrived on Oct. 19, almost three and one-half tons of Cabernet Sauvignon from Bacchus Vineyard in Washington’s Columbia Valley.
Harvest is like a bell curve – a few tons to start, a few tons to finish, and about 4,000 tons in between. The vast majority of fruit – 97% — was harvested over the course of 26 days, including 1,400 tons from our own estate. From a purely logistical standpoint, processing that much fruit in such a short time period required a herculean effort by our crew who, at the peak of harvest, numbered 120 and worked round the clock.
This year King Estate was fortunate to welcome 13 new vineyard partners, bringing the total number to 60. It is through these partnerships that we can produce an exceptionally diverse range of varietals from across a wide swath of the Pacific Northwest. New to our lineup this year will be Grüner Veltliner and Gamay Noir.
The end of harvest signals the close of one phase of life at the winery and the start of a new one – keeping track of some 350 individual lots of wine, making sure fermentations are being properly managed, tasting the wines as they develop, and planning future bottlings.
After a tough 2020, the King family and COO/Winemaker Brent Stone are happy to report that the 2021 vintage is exceptional. We can’t wait for you to taste for yourselves.
