15 Nov Harvest Report 2024

Brian Carter Cellars has finished harvest! On Friday November 8th we pressed off the last of the grapes getting the last skins out.

Well actually we are still cleaning up so there may still be a couple of dozen grape skins hiding here and there). This marks the end of another successful harvest, the 16th   Brian Carter Cellars harvest here at the old Columbia building. Quantity wise it was no record; crushing almost exactly the same 132 tons as last year.  This total includes the 48 tons we did for custom crush, that amount being up about ten tons, correspondingly we are down by 10 tons on the total for Brian Carter Cellars.

The 2024 harvest started a week later in 2024 compared to 2023 and ended just four days later. The weather in eastern Washington was pretty co-operative for the most part, the accumulated heat units being pretty close to average for the year. No major freezes or rain storms pushed us to harvest before we wanted to.

As a result, as we assess wine quality at this early point, we could not be much happier. Time will further define the record for 2024 but for now I am pleased, especially with the red wines. Tannins are ripe, colors are mostly deep, and varietal characters are solid. The whites are also fruit forward, while acidities are just below what I ideally shoot for.

Perhaps what set this vintage apart for me was the almost complete absence of Robert Takahashi the assistant winemaker for some seventeen vintages here. Mandi Letteri who joined us just before harvest began did a noble job of filling in for Robert. It just took a little more effort on my part as I could not lean as heavily on her, not being as familiar with my winemaking style.