harvest reports
Grower Feedback
To My Friends:
Continuous improvement. This commitment by the Benziger Family is exemplified by a unique approach to working with our vineyard owners and managers. It is called the Grower Feedback Loop (GFL). Sure, we work closely with our growers during pruning, shoot thinning and leaf removal. We also assist in fine tuning irrigation and designate the time of harvest. After picking, most wineries go home until spring time. It is just after harvest that the real work starts. Each and every grower’s lot of wine is kept completely separate (this alone is a huge task). Many times several blocks within a vineyard are kept separate so we can scrutinize the vineyard for quality very closely. The wines from each vineyard are tasted several times, rated, ranked and compared to other vineyards of the same varietal. The GFL meeting is then arranged with each grower and our entire winemaking and viticultural staff. During these meetings, the wine quality is thoroughly examined and traced back, step by step, to the viticultural processes and techniques used in the vineyard that created the unique attributes of the wines. Then, in a collaborative way, we agree on how we initiate improvements in the vineyard that will have the greatest effect on increasing quality or moving a wine more toward our style.
This "job review" for the vineyard and grower has been done every year since 1987. Each year we systematically ratchet up quality in our farming and grape quality. This is a major commitment with over 40 growers and over 300 wines. For Benziger Family Winery, it’s all about continuous improvement.
Benziger Family Vineyards
Sonoma Mountain, April 8, 2002