A frigid, snowy winter and long chilly early spring gave way to sun and warmth in late May and early June. This allowed for chardonnay and other early varieties to flower normally. But just when the merlot and cab franc began flowering in late June, another spell of cool, wet weather settled in, causing most clusters to abort. So while the red-varietal vines remained healthy, they carried so little fruit that we could see by the middle of the summer that our crop would not be up to our quality, or even quantity standards. After a reasonable summer, the fall gave us more rain than we needed and less warmth than we deserved. The chardonnay handled the adverse conditions well and gave us a tangy and tasty harvest. But our red harvest consisted of about a ton and a half of good quality grapes—enough to make a light and pleasant rosé wine but no varietal merlot or cab franc. This was a vintage of light and white...and to look beyond for another chance at rich reds.