Issue link: https://read.dmtmag.com/i/497437
www.goodfruit.com Good Fruit Grower MAY 1, 2015 33 use regulated deficit irrigation strategies and apply less water than the vine is using to help control canopy growth. Research shows that applying a deficit in red varieties before veraison, as well as after veraison, results in smaller berries. 3. Historical crop data. Boushey keeps with him at all times historical crop data (dates of past bud break, bloom, veraison, and yield data) so he knows what kind of growing season is under way. "You need to have that data with you all the time so you can compare year to year. In a cool season, you need to make things happen quickly or you will pay the price." 4. Disease and pest management. Disease pressure tends to be higher in cool years, especially if higher rainfall comes at bloom and harvest. He applied three more fun- gicide sprays in 2011 than in 2013. In warm years, temperatures often rise above—at least for some of the season—the active stage for powdery mildew, however, warmer temperatures can give some insects an earlier start and time to develop through an additional generation. Crops grown in cool years often are more expensive because they require more labor and sprays. Boushey noted that in 2011 he made three thinning passes to get clusters to the same maturity and put on three more fungicides than in 2013. Because light exposure has been shown to help to reduce methoxypyrazines, he removed leaves early in 2011, first on the east side in the fruiting zone and then later on the west side so that clusters were well exposed. He believes leaf removal made a key difference in his fruit quality that year. Basal leaves were also removed because methoxypyrazines are said to accumulate there. In 2013, he was concerned about sunburn and only partially leafed on the west side. Flavors in the fruit eventually came in the 2011 vintage, though slowly. Fruit was harvested in early November, just as winter weather was coming. He did a lot of handholding with nervous winemakers during harvest. "It was a very intense and expensive year," he said of the 2011 vintage. "We spent so much time in the vineyard that few growers made money." But it turned out to be a good vintage for many wines—wines that Boushey is proud of. He has received compliments from a winemaker who loved the wines that came from Boushey's fruit. He says the cool year made him a better grower and his crew better. "Ultimately, we showed the rest of the world that even in a cool vintage, we are skilled enough to work through the challenges." • TJ MULLINAX/GOOD FRUIT GROWER Grower Dick Boushey believes the biggest effect on Cabernet quality comes from the weather. "Wherever it's grown, it has to be fully ripe when picked," he says.