The 2010 vintage started with a cool and fairly wet spring that remained frost free at the Crown. The late rains threatened to generate a large canopy, but the Crown soils drain well and the healthy canopy stayed balanced. The cool spring evolved into an exceptionally cool summer, punctuated by a three day heat spike in August which scorched many vineyards, but not the Crown thanks to its ideal row orientation which protects its fruit at the hottest part of the day. September started out warm and ended the same way, giving us the ripeness we were waiting for. We harvested Block 1 from the top of the Crown vineyard in two passes, the south side on October 17th and the west side on October 22nd, thereby ensuring ideal ripeness and maximum flavor.