The 2021 harvest officially began for B Cellars on Friday, August 13, with four tons of Sauvignon Blanc. This is the second earliest start date for us—we once picked Sauvignon Blanc from a different vineyard on the 12th. What does this mean?  Not much, really. The reality is that the vines are not concerned with calendar dates. They ripen the fruit according to their own cycles, which are influenced by a number of factors—temperature, moisture, sunlight—over the entire growing season, from bud break until the vines begin to shut down for the winter. We harvest when the fruit is ready, not a day before.

Since mid-August, we’ve enjoyed cool, foggy mornings, and what appeared at first to be a frantic harvest pace has slowed a bit. The late summer season can be magical in the Napa Valley, with warm sunny days following cool mornings, perfect for nudging the vines along. From our perspective, harvest is the best time of the year, full of promise and energy, long days, and camaraderie. We’ll post-harvest news every week so that you can follow along. But if you can, make it a point to come experience harvest first hand.