Todd Ruffoni, the Ranch Manager at Rancho Arroyo Grande, stated “Harvest started slow and finished fast.” This was his initial statement when asked about the 2009 Harvest. The cool weather caused a slow ripening with the Viognier and Syrah grapes and finished fast when the weather warmed. The threat of rain hastened the harvest of some of the Chardonnay and Zinfandel in order to get as much of the ripe fruit in before the rain. “…. even though the rain was much needed in California, it was too soon for the grape growers…”
The vineyards at Rancho Arroyo Grande that produce our estate wines and our Deep Sea Wines, went through a major facelift the prior year and as expected, the tonnage was up from the previous year. Todd also thinks this year was overall, a great growing year. The quality of the Chardonnay, Syrah and Zinfandel grapes is very promising for 2009. All our estate fruit is harvested at night to obtain a fresher, fruitier, and crisper grape.
Todd Ruffoni, Rancho Arroyo Grande Ranch Manager for Conway Family Wines, oversees all 3,400 acres of ranch operations, including the management of 230 acres of vineyards, 30 acres of olive groves, numerous hayfields, cattle and horse operations.
Recent Comments