You Asked - Update on the Vineyard Season

You may want to know

We had our first Sunset Saturday on June 3rd in Palisade. The next Sunset Saturday at the Palisade tasting room ins scheduled for 6/19/21. A food truck will be on site to enjoy your wine with some food while watching the stunning sunset.

Make sure to check out our upcoming events: (1) An Afternoon with Chocolate and Wine, (2) Feast in the Vineyard during Palisade Winefest.

Cheers,

Ulla & John

So far you could not show off with any Bookcliff logo wear, except for our logo glasses and corkscrews. We have corrected this deficiency. Logo hats are now available in three styles at our Boulder and Palisade tasting rooms.

We also have new logo coasters available at both tasting rooms and blankets for sale in Palisade.

Onward to the Next Crisis

2020 was not only a challenging year for wineries and grape growers in Colorado because of the pandemic, but we also experienced the largest drop in temperature ever recorded as early as October. The temperature dropped to 7 degrees Fahrenheit at night for two days in a row in October 2020; such an incidence is referred to as a "hard freeze". The vines were not ready as there had not been enough time since harvest to acclimate them to the extremely cold temperatures. Dissecting the buds in November 2020 indicated that all primary buds (the most fruitful) were damaged, severely limiting the prospect of harvesting a crop in 2021.

Viognier vines showing no growth in spring 2021

But there is always hope that secondary or tertiary buds would survive. The damage to the vines can range from extreme – the entire vine including the root system is dead, to severe with new canes growing from the roots, to mild with some buds growing leaves or even bearing some clusters. Our assessment in May concluded that the damage to all of our red varietals was either extreme or severe and that we cannot expect to harvest any red grape varieties in 2021. All trunks need to be cut at the base and the wood on the cordon needs to be removed requiring a substantial amount of labor. If you are looking for firewood, you can find a pile stacked at every vineyard, most likely free to take.

Cabernet Sauvignon - with 100% bud damage

Generally speaking, vines grow like weeds; they are a very resilient plants. The majority of our vines are pushing new canes from the roots. Except Cabernet Sauvignon has always been a "late bloomer" and we expect to see the most damage in our Cabernet Sauvignon vineyard. It turns out Chardonnay, Riesling and Muscat Blanc will produce a crop, though small. The picture below shows the difference of leaf growth in the Chardonnay and no growth in Merlot.

Vines growing new canes from the roots with a potential for a crop in 2022

Chardonnay with leaf growth from the cordon on the left - Merlot 100% bud damage on the right

Hybrid grape varieties, such as Chambourcin, St. Vincent or Baco Noir, fared much better. Vineyards planted with hybrid grapes will produce a harvest 2021.

For now, the freeze damage means that there is no “greening” in the vineyard. You will see mostly brown, that gradually will be replaced with bushes of new growth from the roots. In the long term, there may be a shortage of red wine made from Colorado vinifera grapes in 2023/2024. We have two years to work on a solution.

In the meantime, enjoy the 2018, 2019 and 2020 vintages and if you like a particular wine, purchase some bottles to lay up in your cellar.

Chardonnay with a potential for a crop in 2021

There is a small silver lining. Governor Polis declared Mesa County and Delta County a disaster area, thus qualifying for disaster relief. The disaster relief program pays a particular dollar amount for each vine that has to be completely removed.

The deadline for specifying the level of reimbursement through the crop insurance program was after the 2020 freeze, allowing us to purchase a higher protection than we had in previous years. I am very thankful for these government programs - disaster relief and subsidized crop insurance - without which the cost incurred from the damage would be prohibitive.

An Afternoon with Chocolate and Wine

Join us to savor, socialize, and learn about crafting premium local luxury goods. Bookcliff Vineyards will be pouring two ounces of four Colorado wines, including our Ensemble, Syrah, Malbec Reserve, and Moscato. Moksha Chocolate (winner of 2021 Best of Boulder for local chocolate), will unwrap single-source chocolates from Belize and Peru, one to accompany each wine. With two seatings in our elegant fresh-air tasting room/winery, a ticket guarantees ample space for each attendee or group. Tickets also include a handout with room for personal notes and a full-size craft chocolate bar to take home.

When you purchase a ticket, please select either the 1:00pm or 4:00pm seating; both sessions are identical.

Purchase Now

Date:Sunday June 13th, 2021

Time: 1:00pm & 4:00pm

Cost: $55 plus tax

Location: 1501 Lee Hill Road, Boulder, CO 80304

Feast in the Vineyard

We are excited to announce our Feast in the Vineyard on our Vista above our Palisade tasting room. Just imagine being surrounded by vineyards located below Grand Mesa enjoying a four course dinner paired with wine. Our chef Matt Collier will prepare a delicious dinner with locally sourced ingredients prepared on site. Don't miss this memorable event and mark your calendar or purchase your tickets right now.

Looking forward to welcoming you to this special dinner experience.

Purchase Now

Date:Friday 9/17, 2021

Time: 5:00pm

Cost: $120 plus tax and gratuity

Location: 670 39 Road, Palisade, CO 81526

If you joined us for one of our past events, we want to say thank you for your patronage! I hope we will see you in the future, as you make BookCliff Vineyards your stop for local wine purchases.

Cheers,

Ulla & John