Harvest Report 2009 - previous weeks

The Latest Harvest Reports

Update, October 26

Lake County from Susan Stout

KELSEYVILLE – Lake County winegrape growers report a lighter than average crop for white varietals but excellent quality grapes as they assess their harvest completed in the last couple weeks. Weather was cooperative this year, compared to last year’s early frost; mildew and rot were not major problems, growers noted. However, selling their product is one of the biggest challenges this year.

“Wineries are holding back,” said John Roumiguiere, co-owner of Roumiguiere Vineyards. “Those (growers) who didn’t have contracts are having trouble. The wineries are being tight,” he said, adding that it not lack of quality of the grapes.

Low sales stem from a combination of the poor economy and the abundance of grapes being produced now, grower Pilar Luchsinger stated, echoing Roumiguiere’s sentiment. The wineries are being “conservative” in their purchases, Luchsinger said. “This is the worst we’ve seen in years.”

Luchsinger, who has approximately 100 acres between vineyards located in the Big Valley and Red Hills areas, is pleased with the quality of the grapes and said she had a “good size – above average” of her Sauvignon blanc crop. She is preparing to pick red Portuguese varieties, Touriga and Tinta cao, in a week to 10 days. Those look to be good crops, too, she said, adding that she doesn’t foresee any problems with rain in the forecast unless there happens to be a major change in the weather. However, she worries about being able to sell. “There’s just not many big buyers right now. We won’t be custom crushing; whatever is unsold, we’ll leave hanging.”

Roumiguiere reported a “lighter than average” yield from his Sauvignon blanc, but an overall excellent quality. His Chardonnay crop seems to be at about average or slightly better in size, he added. Operating four different ranches (three in Big Valley and one in Red Hills) with varying soils and climates, Roumiguiere also expects a lighter than usual Merlot crop. Some growers experienced problems with Merlot, said Roumiguiere, with loose clusters and some “shattering” of the fruit. “But most of mine are in real nice shape,” he said.

A Kelseyville area grower who is fortunate to land a sale of her winegrapes said she faced challenges that are associated with organic production. Lou Ann Bauer of Hill Creek Vineyard in the Big Valley area of Kelseyville completed the first harvest of organic wines this year, selling the fruit to Bonterra Vineyards, one of the largest buyers of organic grapes, she said. Certified organic last year, the vineyard consists of 4 ½ acres of premium Sauvignon blanc grapes. Bauer believes she was able to sell the grapes because they are organic. Up until 2004, the crop was conventionally farmed.
“We have a lighter crop size than what we had three years ago (prior to transitioning)” Bauer said. However, it is better than the 2008 yield. “Last year was awful because of the spring frost.”

Weed control proved to be this year’s challenge for Hill Creek Vineyard, Bauer said. “The weeds compete with the vines for water,” she explained, adding that more work will need to be done in the next year to keep the weeds from being a problem. She will soon be focusing on her cover crops. With the first rain, she said, workers will prepare and plant barley, oats, and peas to help decrease weeds and put nutrients in the soil.
Lake County vineyard acreage remains steady at almost 8,400 acres, and this year's winegrape harvest is expected to be valued at nearly $40 million.

Lodi Harvest Report 2009 from Mark Chandler

A mild growing season led to a late start for Lodi grape growers and wineries. Crews did not enter the fields to start picking early white varieties such as Pinot Grigio and Sauvignon Blanc until late August or early September, 2-3 weeks later than usual. Chardonnay was even further delayed, running into late September. The crop size surprised growers and vintners. Some are speculating this year’s crop could rival or surpass the 2005 harvest. This additional tonnage slowed down the ripening, as well as prematurely filling winery tanks, so that delays were common, forcing growers to leave grapes on the vine longer than usual. A benefit to this situation was the greater development of complex flavors associated with longer hang time. Slightly higher sugars were matched with bright acidity, yielding wines with nice balance and finish. A mostly beneficent fall weather pattern was interrupted by mid-October rains, causing some concern about rot in Zinfandel, and the inability to get harvesters onto the soaked ground, resulting in a higher percentage of hand-harvested fruit than normal. The Zins being delivered to the wineries were of high sugar and deep concentration. Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon were of high quality but variable yield. Judging from this year’s harvest there will be ample supplies of high quality wines coming from Lodi Wine Country.

San Diego County, Fallbrook Winery from Jacob Ruhe

The 2009 vintage was extraordinary in both the climate and quality of fruit, and has the potential to be one of the best of the decade. The year kicked off with a warm and dry January, but temperatures would drop off and great rainfall in February filled the soil reservoirs with water. The skies dried up just in time for an early bud break. Temperatures rose in spring and the San Diego sunshine sent the plants rushing forth to fill the trellises with a beautiful, lush canopy, providing plenty of foliage to fully ripen this year’s crop. Conditions stayed moderate and consistent through the early summer. Hot weather in August, often passing 100 degrees pulled water out of the berries, concentrating sugars and thickening skins to promote fruit with superb intensity of flavors and deep, rich color. Careful irrigation and farming allowed us to leave the clusters on the vines to develop character, while retaining good acidity for a harvest of fruit in harmony. Brief coastal fog in the early morning hours kept the grapes cool as we picked them from their vines. We look forward to the expression of this fruit in our 2009 wines. Vine to cask to bottle we strive for wines with exceptional complexity and structure; balancing bold character with artful finesse.

Temecula Valley, Thornton Winery from Don Reha

Here in Temecula Valley, 2009 harvest began in late August; about 2 weeks later than average. With cooler than usual temperatures in spring, fruit set slightly later than normal throughout the valley. Those cooler temperatures carried over into May and June, with a record 32 days below normal temperatures in late May and early June. Those cooler temperatures were the major factor in receiving fruit that had better maturity, and better natural acids across the board. As August turned to September, white varietals were coming fast and furious, with some of the earlier reds starting to trickle in. A short heat wave in the second week of September pushed sugars up substantially, and irrigation management was the hot topic for the duration. Those wineries that waited out the heat, and stayed on top of managing the moisture contents were rewarded with bringing in some beautiful fruit. Yields were about average prior to the heat wave, and began slipping to below average numbers after the heat. Fruit quality remained high throughout the duration of harvest. As September came to a close, most grapes were in the cellar, with only a few vineyards unpicked as our first and only rain event took place at the beginning of October. Fortunately, the heat we had in September pushed most everything ahead, resulting in the 2009 harvest ending around the normal October 1st. Needles to say, tank space was at a premium by then! Most Winemakers are in agreement that 2009 will be a top vintage for the Temecula Valley.

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Update, October 19

Collective Report from Russian River Valley Winegrowers

We have more rain than we wanted and without the spring grasses in the vineyard we risk erosion but all manpower is working around the clock, not only to pick as much fruit as is ready but to lie in hay and dig ditches to control erosion. There are parts of the Russian River Valley where the late ripening reds, like Cabernet, Syrah and Zinfandel are experiencing rot, but other regions haven’t seen any. Here in the Russian River Valley, the Pinot Noir and Chardonnay for the most part was in before the rains. The varieties that are at risk total less than 15% of what we normally harvest here.


2009 Sonoma-Mendocino Coast Vintage Report from Greg La Follette of Tandem Wines, transcribed by Simone Sequeira

The 2009 growing season and harvest heavily was influenced by early bud break and evenly sunny, but cool springtime weather—perfect growing conditions. In Tandem vineyards, Greg oversaw early leaf removal, an important part of canopy management. An early rain event during flowering in June produced ideal open-cluster architecture and overall lower yields for Pinot noir. That rain also boosted vegetal vigor and the vines were lush and leafy, requiring extra mowing, hedging, removal of lateral shoots—a lot of extra detail work for winegrowers, but it gave the vines some excellent competition for resources. A few heat spikes in late August, one on Labor Day weekend in particular, kicked off harvest. Vineyards where leaf removal had been done later in season really suffered; vines still tender and venerable to heat exposure. Tandem sites were sitting pretty, as we had already done our leafing and vines were hardy enough to thrive in the heat. Intense round of picking in the first week of September. We do all wild yeast ferments and the first 6 lots of Pinot have finished their primary fermentations beautifully. To date we have picked 22 lots, mostly Pinot and two lots of Sangiacomo Chardonnay—our fruit has come in clean and lusciously ripe, no rot, mildew or underipeness. Chardonnay lots were pressed straight to barrel and we are giving them a lot of attention, managing the headspace in barrel to allow for ferment, monitoring their temperature and loving their fresh, fruity flavors at the moment. Some more recent Pinot lots have been slowing down their primary ferments in tank, so right now we are on a heavy-duty punch down routine and spending a lot of time shepherding these to finishing—it’s intensive work, but we feel that these will yield some of the best, most complex wines of the vintage.

Julie Nord, Nord Vineyards, Napa Valley

The 2009 Napa Valley season had been a cake-walk compared to 2008, until the great October storm. After very little frost pressure in the spring, the vines burst buds in April. Great weather allowed the buds to bloom in late May. Luckily the set was poor, because the overall cluster numbers were high. With an unusually cool June, we felt the grapes would be late to harvest. The moderate summer allowed the grapes to mature evenly, without any sunburn. The sparkling wine harvest kicked off for us on August 17, as in most years. The unusual part was Pinot Noir was picked weeks before the Chardonnay was ready. The Chardonnay ripened a little each week, and for still wine was not picked until October. In the meantime, we've picked Merlot, Syrah and Petite Sirah.

A huge storm, remnants of a typhoon hit us October 13. The rain in Napa was 4" with up to 7" in the mountains. Most Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon had to weather the storm. Luckily, the fruit is very clean, with no rot, going into the storm. We really need a few days of sunshine with breeze to finish ripening everything.

 

Update, October13

A Rush to Crush: California wine regions are flooded at harvest time

After several weeks of optimism at wineries in Northern California, grape pickers from Santa Cruz to Napa and Sonoma were in a “rush to crush” over the weekend to beat the predicted storms. Winds neared 50 mph and rains approached 10 inches in some parts on Tuesday. Wineries are now hoping the rains and winds did not harm too much of the remaining grapes. With most wineries reporting only 10-25% of grapes remaining on the vines, it seems that a large scale disaster is unlikely.

Of the remaining grapes, the thinner-skinned grapes like Chardonnay, Zinfandel and Pinot Noir are of the greatest concern, whereas deeper red varietals like Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot could fare better. Several sources site 1962 as the last storm of this magnitude in the area. That year's harvest resulted in what was largely considered to be a sub-par vintage.

In 2002 storms and floods of similar magnitude ravaged France’s Rhone region. In particular, many vintage charts rank that South Rhone/ Châteauneuf du Pape vintage as one of the worst in decades. We can only hope mother nature does not repeat that in California.

 

Update, October 6

Buena Vista Carneros, Jeff Stewart

The 2009 harvest is rolling along for Buena Vista Carneros. We harvested our last block of Pinot Noir off our Ramal Vineyard Estate at 3am this past Saturday morning and will finish Chardonnay this week, as well. The Pinot Noir cold soaking in the open top fermenters tastes great, and our first lots already in barrel are showing intensity and spice that bodes well for some special wines from the vintage. The Syrah and Merlot are not far behind, as we will start picking later this week. The cellar and vineyard crews are enjoying a few lighter days before we ramp up again next week!

Pietra Santa Winery

The 2009 harvest is proving to be especially exciting and bountiful. Sufficient water and lack of frost have rewarded us with ample tonnage and great quality fruit. Most exciting, we are getting our first harvest from our new planting of Pinot Noir that has been 4 years in coming. These new vines will provide us with approximately 20 acres of much needed fruit which yielded us 3.5 acres per ton. Also part of our new plantings are 2 additional acres Chardonnay and some small amounts of blending grapes that Alessio fondly refers to as his “spice box”. This includes Petite Syrah, Carignane and Cabernet Franc. Yields on the chardonnay were 3 tons per acre and we have not harvested the red wine grapes yet.

The vines at Pietra Santa are planted in elevations ranging from approximately 1200 feet to above 2200. The change in elevation and the placement of the vines in our valley effect when we harvest individual varieties and it is not unheard of for us to begin harvesting Chardonnay and Pinot Grigio in September and finish with Cabernet Sauvignon the last week of October or occasionally, the first of November. This year is no exception; from the Pietra Santa Estate we have harvested 4 acres of Chardonnay which will be used in making our reserve tier Chardonnay, 2 ½ acres of Pinot Grigio that we use in making Amore, our reserve tier Pinot Grigio, most of our new planting of Pinot Noir and a small amount of Sangiovese. We continue to check the sugar levels but cooler weather is allowing the harvest crew few days off. We also completed the harvest of, Gewurztraminer, Pinot Grigio and Chardonnay from the Dunne Ranch September 18th.

 

Update, October 5

Joel Peterson, Ravenswood

I mentioned in my last report that this vintage could get ugly if we got rain or extreme heat. As it turns out, we’ve had both. Fortunately for us the rain was not much. It really only washed the dust off the leaves and dampened the ground. The heat was not severe. We had four or five days that pushed the 100 degree range which resulted in a sudden rush of perfectly ripe fruit. Other than the very late start to the season – really the latest I can remember – the other unusual feature is that almost all areas are ripening at the same time. Typically, we would pick Lodi in the second to third week of August and Sonoma starting some time in the first week of September, but here we are in the second week of October picking both. This, as you can imagine, creates a bit of congestion at the winery. Thus far, we have been able to deal with it successfully. It seems unlikely that we will get another intense heat period because the days have shortened and the nights have gotten very cold. We even had frost warnings last night. So I will add that to the list of things to worry about for this vintage. We seem to have escaped the rain and the ravages of heat but if the vineyards get frosted, we’ll be sitting on lots of unripe grapes that will have no chance of ripening. To paraphrase Robert Frost, some say the world will end in fire, some say ice. Of course, either will suffice to end this vintage.

 

Clifford Weaver, Le Miccine - Chianti, Italy

In Tuscany, at least at Le Miccine, probably only at Le Miccine, you can say that the 2009 vintage is all about 14 and 17 September.

2009 has been an odd year in many ways (except that all years are odd years in their own ways).

The winter and spring rains came in abundance, which we were still liking after too many years of drought or “so-so” water. For Le Miccine, it was especially nice because we had just put over 11,000 new vines into the ground, and we really hoped they would get enough water to survive. But then, the rains wouldn’t quit. Donna and I left Le Miccine for Chicago on July 11, and we were still seeing heavy rains at least several days every week.

Such rains knock buds off vines, keep the temperature too cool, and invite mildew. So, altogether, it seems like the crop was delayed and might be reduced – especially the Malvasia nera, which budded at just the wrong time.

Within days after we got back to Chicago in mid-July, the reports came that Tuscany had turned VERY hot and dry. For about the next six weeks, all we heard was temperatures between 90 and 100 F. At some point in there, the plant protects itself and its limited moisture by closing all pores and giving up on photosynthesis. So, now we were wondering – are the wonderful heat and sun helping us to catch up on the late start or are the awful heat and sun setting us farther behind?

The temperatures finally broke around the first of September, but the drought continued. We began to get reports of withering grapes and recommendations for a green harvest even more severe than usual, which we quickly authorized. Bummer!

Then came the day-long rain on 14 September and another one on 17 September. Since then, we haven’t seen a drop worth noting.

Honestly, when I got here on 28 September, I didn’t know what to expect. A walk in the vineyards showed bunches that were beautiful and healthy, but some were still a little shriveled from the hot sun of August and September. But the sugars were promising. On average, the fields seemed a few days behind our best years, but still well within “sort of normal.” The slightly shriveled bunches actually showed better sugars than their plump brethren.

In the two weeks or so between the rains and our first analyses after arriving at Le Miccine, the wonderfully warm, dry, sunny days and cool nights had given us sugars shooting up and acids holding their own.

On Thursday, 1 October, after another stroll through the vineyards, I pulled the trigger and harvested our Merlot. This was a few days later than I might normally expect for the Merlot to ripen. However, despite the extra green harvesting, the healthy bunches, plumped by rain at just the right time, gave us our largest Merlot harvest ever as well our highest sugars ever – looking for final alcohol over 14% (which we will tame with less ripe Sangiovese.)

My plan was to do the next two quickest-ripening varieties (Malvasia nera and Ancellotta) on Monday, 5 October. But Friday was another beautiful warm day, and another strolling and tasting convinced me that we should not wait any longer. Yesterday, Saturday, 3 October, we took in both the Malvasia nera and the Ancellotta. Once again, the sugars and acidity suggest we have a great harvest in the making.

We checked the Vermentino again today. It’s getting very close and ripening very quickly. I’m guessing it will be ready around the end of the week.

The Sangiovese, our real life or death grape, still has a way to go. If the quick ripening grapes were delayed by a few days, Sangiovese will likely be delayed by several days. Right now, I check sugars, acids, and taste every few days and forecasts every day. I think we are in good shape to let the Sangiovese hang another 7-12 days, as needed. Right now, we have a super-sized crop. If it survives until ripeness, it will be a very good year for Le Miccine.

Of course, the Consorzio di Chianti Classico has already decreed that we will put 20% of this good stuff away for two years, so what God giveth, regulators taketh away (but hopefully only until the prices are better).

 

 

Bringing in Cabernet at Raymond, Napa

 

Dana Merrill, Pomar Junction - Paso Robles

Harvest is moving along well after very warm weather last week. We are down now to cooler than average temperatures but picking continues. The quality thus far looks great, with our vines holding up well. The first wines have nice acid balance and low to moderate pHs which means the heat has helped ripen the fruit but not hurt the quality.

So far Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot Gris and some Syrah is complete. We have started Merlot and even some Cab Sauvignon. White yields appear above normal but reds about normal, with Syrah very light this year.

Tony Domingos -grower in Paso Robles

Currently picking Cab and Merlot, flavors seem to be very good with no green flavors. Flavor ripeness and sugar ripeness seem to be in union this season. Crops seem to be lighter than earlier projections. Warm weather last week got everything moving relatively quickly and now the cool weather is allowing more hang time for better quality. Brix (sugars), Ph and TA’s (acidity) all look very good in the tank.

A very autumnal looking harvest in Paso Robles

 

Update, September 29

 

Neil Collins, Lone Madrone - Paso Robles

And so it begins!! Having managed to avoid any bovine entanglement this year I was able to commence with harvest all parts and pieces in rough but working order. Quite an improvement over last season I must say!

The grapes they are falling like the rain we have not seen!! The first thing out of the gate was the Will's Hills dry farmed Viognier. Destined for the Points West White Rhone blend, the grapes looked and tasted beautiful. Thus far we have seen Viognier, Grenache Blanc, Roussanne, Albarino, Zinfandel, Petite Sirah, Grenache Noir, Lampia Nebbiolo, Counoise, Syrah, Tannat. And yet the little buggers they just keep coming! Tomorrow is Mourvedre and Nebbiolo. The grapes have been of excellent quality especially the dry farmed stuff. My feet stink and I am knackered. Cider next week. CHEERS NEIL....

 

Raymond - Napa

We have some cool new images from Raymond that has been bringing in Sauvignon Blanc and Chardonnay this past week.

The above photos starting upper left and going clockwise are: (1) Sauvignon Blanc being delivered to the winery. (2) Sauvignon Blanc free-run juice (3) Chardonnay being picked. (4) Chardonnay ripe on the vine.

Fox Run - Finger Lakes, New York

From the Finger Lakes region in New York we have this cool harvest video. Enjoy.

 

 

September 23

It’s that wonderful and hectic time of year again as harvest is underway. BevX is in touch with growers and winemakers in most of this country’s major wine regions and we will pass on our findings and in some cases, their own words regarding the 2009 harvest.

This week our guest correspondents are: Walter & Krisi Raymond (Raymond Vineyards), Tim Mc Donald (Wine Spoken Here, Marketing & Communications – Napa), Christopher Taranto (Paso Robles Wine Country Alliance), Tony Lombardi (Ascentia Wine Estates), and Joel Peterson (Ravenswood).

Here are their first reports:

Walter & Krisi Raymond
Weather has been warm with cool nights. All of our Sauvignon Blanc fruit is in and we have received quite a bit of Chardonnay. Our estate Chardonnay vineyard in South Napa is still about two weeks out from harvesting. We have not seen any reds yet, but expect some Merlot next week. Everything has been good quality, with average yields. Looks like another great vintage in the making!

Tim McDonald
Things in Napa are going fairly well the prediction of 100 degree weather did not occur and there was a good pace as the temps were warm the past week. Most of the whites have been picked by now. Sunday there was a little rain but very welcome as it was a touch and everyone likes a touch. The dust settles - the grapes get a bit of a wash and its a slight cooling regardless of ava. Everyone is talking about good yields and great flavor development. Ph and acids are nicely balanced and generally speaking the season has been perfect. The reds will continue their developing and the weather forecast is predicted to remain warm with no heat spikes....

Christopher Taranto
The word that I am getting is that the quality across the AVA (American Viticultural Area), of Paso Robles, is looking to be exceptional in 2009. Yields are also up from last year, which wasn’t too hard considering the shatter that happened early on in 2008. For the most part whites have been picked, Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay, some of the Rhone white varietals. But because Paso Robles has so many distinct microclimates, it’s tough to generalize. We had a good heat spike some weeks ago that helped spur picking, but then we cooled off, which slowed a lot of activity. Now we are walking into another heat spell that could last over a week with some 100+ degree days. This could provide the needed sugar production in some varieties and help continue the phenological cycle for others who are late ripening varieties.

Tony Lombardi – A report from Geyser Peak
The Geyser Peak harvest kicked off on August 18th with 22 tons of Sauvignon Blanc from the Vimark Vineyards Cloverdale Ranch in the Northwest corner of the Alexander Valley Appellation of Sonoma County. This is about a week to tens days later than normal for us & is due to a cool wet spring followed by relatively mild summer conditions. Presently, the cool foggy mornings followed by warm sunny afternoons are giving us absolutely ideal grape ripening conditions. However, the weather conditions have significantly slowed down what would normally be a hectic time of the year, leaving us a mere 5% finished after two full weeks of harvesting. The Geyser Peak team is excited for another great, but potentially long, vintage.

Joel Peterson
The winter of 2008/09 was very mild, with quite low rainfall. The rain fall was so low that many of us began to wonder if the dry farmed old vines would be able to make it through the growing season. Fortunately we had somewhat late mid-may rains that saved our bacon, or vines if you like. Generally the vintage started late, continues to ripen slowly and will be late by as much as two to three weeks for some varieties. Regional differences in ripening are not as pronounced as usual, for instance, Zinfandel from Lodi and Sonoma seem to be on the same ripening curve. In some years they can be as much as two to three weeks apart.

Overall, the heat summation has not been remarkably different than the very good 2007 vintage, but the dosage profile is much different, and dosage is important. There have been a few fairly warm spells, over 90 degrees, but mostly it has been a long cool summer. Low to mid-eighties with a fairly substantial marine layer that has not burned off until rather late in the morning have been the norm. Prolonged is a word that has been used a lot in California winemaking circles this year. Prolonged bud break, prolonged flowering, prolonged berry sizing, prolonged verasion, prolonged ripening and, of course, prolonged anxiety or philosophical posturing on the part of growers and winemakers. It also means that there has been a good deal of mildew and botrytis pressure. Growers have had to be especially observant of their mold abatement procedures. The good news is that we have a moderate sized crop with looser than usual clusters and fairly small berries. These are potential harbingers of good wine.

So, what could these conditions mean for the wines? If this weather pattern continues, leading narrow vision skeptics to question global warming, and we don’t get any rain or extreme heat, the vintage could be pretty good with ripe complex wines, that have great color and flavor at a somewhat lower sugar level (think alcohol level) than have been usual in the last few vintages. If we get rain or extreme heat it could be ugly. Rain will activate the mold spores that are lurking in the vineyards and create rampant rot. Extreme heat will cause the fruit to desiccate and the already stressed vines will go into shock and be unable to finish ripening the fruit.

So, think moderation and with some luck we should get some pretty immoderate wines. Stay Tuned.