Tom Scott Vineyard Newsletter - February 2011 - Barnburner Cabernet Sauvignon 
Dear Friends,
Valentine’s Day marked the first day of pruning for the 2011 vintage, and it must be love. Why else would we do it? Reminiscent of 2005’s pruning, it’s rained every day so far. But we just had to laugh Wednesday as hail pelted us! Our newest vintage, 2011 has gotten off to a cold and wet start, but it has begun.
One advantage to working the vines in the rain is that the canes are supple and easier to lay on the fruiting wire. It’s also easier to pull the cut canes from the canopy. Our pruning method of head-trained, cane-pruned is labor-intensive but we’re convinced the time, five minutes a plant, and attention given each plant is what produces our beautiful Barn Burner.
 Our 2010 crop is now in oak, having sailed through fermentation. Last year’s cooler summer kept the sugar, or brix, in the fruit lower than usual. The lower sugar resulted in an easier fermentation. Often high sugar, which converts to alcohol, makes for a more difficult fermentation as high alcohol can kill the yeast and stall the process. So, while some folks worried that the cooler temperatures might have adversely affected the vintage, for us it doesn’t appear to be the case. Additionally, we tried to delay the harvest of our Merlot last year by pruning it last. We were testing the theory that through pruning we could delay bud-break and consequently harvest. But nature had its own schedule, and the Merlot was ready to harvest about mid-October as usual; nineteen days before the other varietals were harvested on November 4th. But it appears that we had an unexpected benefit in pruning the Merlot late; it produced a particularly rich, dark and full bodied wine. Our winemaker, Bill Ballentine has told us to once again “prune late!”
 So, our 2011 vintage is started, our 2010 is in oak and in a few months we’ll be bottling our 2009 wine. And of course, our vintage 2008 is quietly resting on the cork waiting for release on October 1st.
During pruning we’re constantly evaluating last year’s production, deciding what to leave on the vine for this year’s fruit, and trying to create positions for next year. Between this and all our various vintages in various stages, it’s got to be our connection to the land that keeps us in the moment!
It’s fitting that we began this year pruning on Valentine’s Day, because there is no question that our work in the vineyard is a labor of love.
So, think of us at the end of your day, as you raise your glass of Barn Burner and drink to “getting it done.”
 Tom and Lauren Scott
www.tomscottvineyard.com
www.tomscottvineyard.com/wineshop
info@tomscottvineyard.com
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