2024 Harvest Report: Beneduce Vineyards | Pittstown, NJ
The white, rosé and early reds are in – with blaufränkisch and cabernet franc still hanging
Harvest is underway in (even largely complete in parts of ) Eastern wine country. It’s a time of year filled with excitement, hope… and a heavy dose of hyperbole.
Some winemakers, winery owners, and even some writers will tell you that every vintage is “one of the best vintages in a decade/century/lifetime.”
That type of hyperbole drives me crazy. Perhaps irrationally so.
In the East, every vintage is unique; every vineyard, or even section within a vineyard, is different, and each grape variety develops and ripens in its way and at its rate.
In other words, it’s way more nuanced than some would have you believe.
Harvest declarations made before the wines are made are little more than informed predictions, anyway.
I’ve solicited 2024 harvest updates from across Eastern wine — people I can always trust — to dig into the realities and uncover the nuances. Some will be more positive than others, but I hope to paint a complete picture of where things stand today (literally the day I post — because things can change just a day, or even a few hours later.)
These will be lightly edited because this isn’t about me or my opinions. This is about what grape growers and winemakers are seeing.
Today’s first report comes from Mike Beneduce, owner and winemaker at Benduce Vineyards in Pittstown, New Jersey, who — so far — is thrilled with what he’s seeing in his vineyards.
“As of today, 9/30, all we have left hanging is cabernet franc and blaufränkisch. All the whites, roses, and pinot noir are in and fermenting away.
Quantity looks to be about average or slightly below (mostly due to smaller berry and cluster weights), but quality is exceptional across the board. According to our on-site weather station, we've received less than 2" of rain since August 10, and we're currently at around 3300 GDDs, which is warmer than average, so everything has been ripening exceptionally well.
We've had the luxury of making picking decisions solely based on chemistry and flavors, as there has been zero pressure this year from birds, weather, or disease. Acids are holding extremely well, and flavors are intense and concentrated, even compared to our previous "warm/dry" vintages of 2019 and 2022.
It may not be interesting to your readers, but we noticed slightly lower Yeast Assimilable Nitrogens (YANs) than normal this year, probably because of the lack of water moving into the fruit. Some fermentations are getting supplemental nutrition, which is atypical for us.
The reds that are out there are clean and ripe. We're just making the best of this upcoming week of dry weather to let them turn into something exceptional while we have the chance. I'm pretty pumped to taste these wines when they are ready!”
I will publish these reports as I get them, so keep an eye out for the next one — probably later today.
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