Harvest In Napa Valley Begins Today With Spectacular Quality Anticipated

Grapes For Sparkling Wines Are First

Harvest in Napa Valley typically begins with the sparkling wine producers and Rodgers Vineyard will begin picking Pinot Noir for Mumm Napa Valley today (August 13). Throughout Napa Valley most white varieties will be harvested through the end of August, while the Cabernet Sauvignon harvest will likely begin mid-September.

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"We have had favorable ripening conditions in Napa Valley over the past 30 days," said Napa Valley Grapegrowers President Paul Goldberg, who is also president of Bettinelli Vineyards. "The very mild, early-season temperatures have led to an incredible growing season."

Heavy Rains Doesn’t Dim Outlook

Heavy rains in March and April cultivated robust cover crops, which organically enriched the soil with an abundance of nutrients. The heavy rain also delayed pruning and bud break by a few weeks in some parts of Napa Valley, but that hasn't had any effect on the overall crop. The rain in April created a bit of shatter in Chardonnay clusters during bloom but didn't significantly reduce crop size. Growers compare it to the same amount of reduction that occurs normally during crop thinning and they call the April rains "nature's way of thinning."

Fruit set was right on course during the spring for Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Petit Verdot, and Malbec. Napa Valley received more rain in May, followed by a heat spike in June, which sparked canopy growth. Since that initial short heat wave, the weather throughout the summer has been moderate and veraison has been "beautiful and even" according to Goldberg. Veraison is an exciting time in the ripening cycle when white grapes transition from green to gold and red grapes transition from green to red, a sign that harvest is just around the corner.

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"With the late-season rains, vine growth took off, so crews were still leafing and hedging the vineyards when - boom - it was time for harvest," added Kendall Hoxsey-Onysko, a Napa Valley Grapegrowers board member and the business manager for Yount Mill Vineyards. Yount Mill Vineyards grows five varieties for Mumm Napa Valley: Pinot Meunier; Pinot Noir; Pinot Blanc; Pinot Grigio; and Chardonnay and will harvest their first fruit for Mumm this Saturday, August 17th.

Each year, the Napa Valley Grapegrowers (NVG) hosts the definitive summary on the valley’s harvest and streams it live for thousands of viewers world-wide.  For 43 years NVG has played a vital role in strengthening Napa Valley's reputation as a world-class viticultural region.  Its mission is to preserve and promote Napa Valley’s world-class vineyards.  NVG represents 725 Napa County grapegrowers and associated businesses.

Photos by Sarah Anne Riske

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California 2015 Harvest: Light, Early And Exceptional Quality

“This year is only the third time since 1982 that harvest has finished in September, so to say that this is an early season understates the point a bit,” -- Cameron Parry, winemaker for Groth Vineyards & Winery in Napa Valley.

Fourth Straight Year Of Drought

The 2015 year delivered California vintners and growers across the state another stellar vintage.  Despite a lighter crop—compared to last year—from one of the earliest seasons on record, wildfires during harvest in some regions and a fourth year of drought, quality is high across the board.  A mild winter causing early bud break, followed by protracted bloom and unseasonably cool weather in spring, contributed to smaller grape clusters and variable crop size.  An intense, compacted harvest began in July for sparkling wines and some still white wines, and was finished for most wineries by the end of September.  The crop is estimated to be nearly 3.8 million tons, according to industry experts.
“The quality of the 2015 vintage for California statewide is excellent,” said Robert P. (Bobby) Koch, president and CEO of Wine Institute. “After three record harvests, a lighter vintage will not impact our supply of California wines for wine lovers nationwide and throughout the world.”
“Harvest started 10 days or so early in our north and central coast vineyards because of the warm weather and reduced crop size,” said Keith Horn, VP Grape Management for Constellation Brands. “Happily, we harvested superior quality grapes, just a little lighter crop.”
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2015 Should Be Another Epic Vintage

“This year is only the third time since 1982 that harvest has finished in September, so to say that this is an early season understates the point a bit,” said Cameron Parry, winemaker for Groth Vineyards & Winery in Napa Valley.  “This year lines up fairly well with 1997, one of the other three September finishes. Yields have been down across the board, but this is not surprising, as we are coming off of an unprecedented run of three large harvests (’12, ’13, and ’14). Though there isn’t a lot of it, the quality of the crop this year is exceptional.  All the Cabernet ferments are showing big, rich, ripe fruit in great balance with the tannins, and the color metrics are off the chart this season.  2015 should prove to be another in an epic string of superior quality vintages.”
“This year was the earliest harvest in my 46 years as a winegrower,” said Richard Sanford, owner of Alma Rosa Winery & Vineyards in Santa Barbara County, primarily producers of Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. “We began on August 10 and were finished by September 8. Others in our area have experienced similar early ripening. The tonnage of grapes is lower than the last two vintage. The quality is superb and will make excellent wine. I would say 2015 is an excellent vintage for wines from the Santa Rita Hills.” 
Tracey Hawkins, co-founder of Hawk and Horse Vineyards in Lake County, is also excited about the harvest, in spite of the Valley Fire that swept through parts of the region in September. “Lake County has seen an early and slightly light 2015 harvest, with some wineries recording their earliest harvest to date,” said Hawkins.  “It was a hot, dry summer, which made the fruit from this vintage very flavorful—and may account for the lightness and earliness of the vintage. Most report tonnage approximately 10 percent lighter than usual, however, others report slightly larger than normal tonnages. Fruit quality across the board is stellar. Harvest was delayed for some when the Valley Fire struck, but harvest resumed in most areas within four days.”

 

Smaller Berries And Concentrated Flavors

“The drought clearly had an effect in this 2015 vintage,” stated Montse Reece, winemaker for Pedroncelli Winery in Sonoma County. “This has been an early and light harvest, with smaller berries and concentrated fruit flavors. The high temperatures in August and early September accelerated maturity and picking times. Yields were 20 percent lower on average. I’m seeing mild acids, moderate to low alcohols and intense aromatics in all our varieties. This is a vintage of exceptional quality.”
There was more praise for fruit quality from Aaron Lange, who is in charge of viticulture operations at Lange Twins Family Winery & Vineyards. “The 2015 vintage in the Lodi appellation was early, light, and intense,” said Lange. “The season began almost three full weeks ahead of normal and was complete by the end of September.  Red varietals, like Cabernet Sauvignon, had light yields across the board, mostly due to loose clusters and small berry size. Throughout the season, we worked hard to keep up with the fast-paced harvest to deliver winegrapes to wineries at the optimal time with winemakers loving the concentrated colors and flavors of the fruit."
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2014 California Winegrape Harvest: Earliest and Third in a String of Great Vintages this Decade

While wine producers in Ohio, Michigan and other cold climates experienced devastating damage to the 2014 grape crop, that’s not the case in California. In fact, despite the impact of the drought, California had its third largest harvest ever. Here’s a report on the California harvest of 2014.

California vintners and growers across the state are grateful for another excellent vintage, despite an ongoing drought and earthquake that rocked south Napa in late August just as crush was getting underway. A mild winter and spring caused early bud break, although the overall length of the growing season was similar to past years. A compacted harvest began in July for sparkling wines and started winding down by mid-October for later ripening varieties. Moderate temperatures, with only minimal rain in September, allowed for even ripening.
According to the United States Department of Agriculture Pacific Regional Crop Production Report of August 2014, California's winegrape production this year is forecast at 3.9 million tons, down 8 percent from 2013's record high crop. The 2014 harvest is the third largest on record.
"We are about 80 percent done, going into the second week of October," said Glenn Andrade, vice-president winemaking for Trinchero Family Estates, farmers of more than 10,000 acres of vineyards across Napa, Sonoma, the Central Coast, Lodi and Amador. "We've had pretty light to moderate yields this harvest, resulting in exceptional quality. Our Amador Zinfandels are amazing—great intensity and quality. We should be done by the week of October 20, which is early for us, as typically, it's the first week in November."
"The 2014 vintage was by far the earliest start of any harvest I can recall," said Adam Mettler, director of winemaking for Michael David Winery in Lodi. "Early concerns about adequate storage quickly faded as our vineyards continued to check in at 20-25 percent down in volume from the previous two years. The moderate crop size allowed for rapid sugar accumulation early, which created some challenging high-density fermentations, but resulted in some real nice wines."
Renee Ary, winemaker at Duckhorn Vineyards in Napa Valley is also very pleased with the vintage. "2014 will be noted as one of the earliest vintages in over a decade, but it will also go down as one of the best. Challenged by drought, an earthquake, rain, hail and significant heat, you would think there would be a lot of obstacles to navigate, however the timing of the events paired with some planning allowed us to dodge these curveballs and land another fantastic vintage. Tannins are in check and berries are small, which is translating into great balance and concentration in the cellar. Yields and quality are above average across all varieties, and I am anticipating a lot of beautiful 2014 wines to come."
"Quality is outstanding," echoed Chrissy Wittmann, winemaker at Wild Horse Winery & Vineyards in Paso Robles. "There are small berries with good tannin and color release on the reds, and flavorful fruit with bright aromatics on the whites. Now, we are in the home stretch, with this latest heat wave pushing the last of the hanging grapes into pick mode."
"The 2014 vintage was phenomenal for Wente Family Estates and Livermore Valley," exclaimed Karl Wente, fifth generation winemaker for the family winery. "We had outstanding color, the extractions were fantastic and we had great fruit character throughout. The lack of late-season rain and a long growing season helped ensure optimum fruit maturity."
In Sonoma County, there were more accolades for the vintage from Corey Beck, president and director of winemaking at Francis Ford Coppola Winery. "In the past 17 years that I've been with Coppola, this has to be the best vintage I've ever seen. I remember saying that about the 2013 vintage, too. We've been so fortunate to have two back-to-back phenomenal harvests. We buy grapes from a variety of growers in various sub-appellations throughout Sonoma County, and to see that level of quality and consistency in each of the diverse varieties across the region is remarkable. The Chardonnay grapes were supple and succulent; the Cabernets were deep and complex—across the board, it's a great vintage."
"We are very pleased with the assessments of an exceptional 2014 vintage for California wine statewide," said Robert P. (Bobby) Koch, president and CEO of Wine Institute. "And we look forward to sharing these outstanding 2014 wines with wine lovers throughout the nation and the world. Although we came through this harvest without major impact, we're keenly aware of the ongoing drought and its effects on California's entire agricultural community, including wine. We are doing our part as vintners and growers to mitigate water usage through a variety of sustainable practices."