What will the vintage be like after a summer like this?

This year has gotten off to an interesting start in Napa and Sonoma counties, and it wasn’t just me that was surprised by the weather, but the long-time residents too. It started with the rain not wanting to stop in March. I asked around if this was normal and many people pointed the finger at El Nino and told me it comes around once every five years and affects the ocean currents, but it’ll be over soon. Yeah right! It rained about twice a week every week till June! In fact, it rained so much that we didn't need to turn on the irrigation system in the winery until the very end of July. …

The mornings were outright cold, getting as cold as 48-50° F. It remained cloudy and foggy until about noon, then finally the sun came out and it was warm for approximately five hours until the fog and cold settled back in. And this is the way it has been up until now. People are saying, this is the coldest summer California has seen in the last 50 years! This is especially interesting considering the record heat waves going on out East. In New York, for example, there have been a few nights now that the temperature has not gone below 86° F at night. That’s crazy!

But what will the vintage be like after a year like this? Based on today’s sample harvest, there is nothing to fear–at least not in Sonoma. The Pinot Noir is liking this weather and is the most ripe of all the grapes. Today (August 23rd) its BRIX is 19.5 and PH 3,06. This means we’ll be ready to harvest in about two weeks. If we’d be picking for rosé, we could already begin harvesting. The grape placing second place in terms of readiness is the Pinot Meunier at 18.2 BRIX and 3.00 PH. The Chardonnay is a bit lagging at 17.5 BRIX and 2.97 PH–its acidity was brutal. The Syrah, on the other hand, isn’t even worthy of sampling–half the clusters are still green. All in all, we are about three weeks behind schedule, which doesn't seem to be a big problem, unless of course the rain season sets in early.

Perhaps the situation is more serious in Napa, with the late-ripening Cabernets and Merlot. For those varieties to fully ripen, it will take a long, warm, dry period for the grapes to fully mature. The grapes I tasted late last week were still vegetal; the Cabernet Sauvignon tasted more like green pepper than grape. We can only hope it will slowly grow out of it. Regardless, I don’t think this year will be known for its great vintage–unfortunately.