2004: An Alderbrook Vintage to Look Forward To!
The 2004 harvest should lead to a premiere wine vintage for Alderbrook and other producers of Russian River and Dry Creek valley wines. The early March bud break and milder than normal growing season combined with a lighter than average crop yield to produce fruit more balanced in both sugar accumulation and phenolic maturity. Despite some heat spikes at the start of the growing season and during harvest, most growers in the Russian River and Dry Creek valleys weathered the heat with prudent irrigation management. This afforded the fruit the growing conditions and hang time necessary to develop to maximum maturity.
In all, from the wines I've tasted thus far from this vintage, I believe 2004 will be a vintage Alderbrook fans can really look forward to.
Rob Weinstock
Alderbrook Vineyard Operations & Grower Relations
Updated: January 4, 2005