I got up at 2:30 am when the frost alarm went off. If it had been closer to dawn, I might not have bothered, but with four hours of night to go and a clear sky above, I started up the pumps. By 3:30 am, the temp had just dipped to 31.4. At 6:50, the temperature was slightly above freezing and there was 97% relative humidity. Fog shrouded the vineyards as the morning sun began to filter over the hills to the east. I pulled on my shoes, wrapped myself in a bathrobe, and walked back out to shut the system down. Two of the Pinot Noir blocks are lower in elevation than the pump, so I close those valves before shutting off the pumps. That way, the system doesn't drain after pump shutdown. It's easier on the pumps if they're already primed with a bit of water to push against.
A bit of frost lay on the ground, but it probably never got to a damaging temperature at the height of the buds. Ah well, hindsight is 20/20...
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