While picking is well underway in many areas, the California harvest has growers cautiously optimistic.
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| The heat meant harvest came early this year for California growers.
Winemakers across most of California are rushing to harvest grapes this week as they try to beat a heat wave predicted to push the mercury up to 113F (45C).
They can pick this early because in many cases the grapes ripen early. California is a large state, so local conditions vary widely. But in general, summer was mild for the most part after a mild winter during persistent drought. In many places the vine “woke up” early and this pushed back the ripening season earlier.
“A lot of people bring their whites,” said Jeff Cole, winemaker for Sullivan Rutherford Estate in Napa Valley. “I brought a lot of Merlot on Saturday. The harvest is getting ready to be in full swing into next week. With the heat forecast for the weekend, a lot of things are going to happen to try and keep that cool.”
Randall Grahm, winemaker for Language of Yes Wines, said most of the Central Coast regions he tracks are ahead of schedule.
“Central Coast is ahead,” Grahm told Wine-Searcher. “Paso (Robles) is early. Southern Monterey County is early. Hollister and Cienega Valley are early. Santa Cruz Mountains, I don’t think are particularly early. The year itself n Didn’t feel particularly hot, but it’s early depending on how dry it’s been.”
I mentioned that an early harvest sounds good because it allows wineries to get the grapes before the wildfires. Pro tip: At this time of year, when talking to winemakers, try to avoid the word “wildfire.” So far this year, there’s nothing to see (and let’s keep it that way.)
“The longer things hang, the better the flavor development and elaboration,” says Grahm. “Everything has its time. You want to have a long life and a good life. Grapes have the same problem. They want the right amount of time.”
Keep in mind that “early” doesn’t mean the Cabernet is coming already. White grapes are being picked quickly and a surprising amount of reds are too, but there will be plenty of grapes lying around the vines in the heat this weekend, waiting for cooler weather to come. McPrice Myers, owner of an eponymous winery in Paso Robles, said he was using shade cloth on the vines for the first time this year.
The first times
Molly Lonborg, winemaker for Alta Colina in Paso Robles, called 2022 “by far the first vintage of my career.”
“It’s also one of the hottest vintages of the past decade when it comes to growing degree days,” Lonborg said. “We’re pretty close to 2017, which was one of the hottest vintages ever in Paso Robles. The main difference being that in 2017 there were multiple heat waves with consecutive 110 degree days. This year we have had fewer episodes of intense hot days.
“So far, the quality levels of the whites — the sugar/acid ratios and the flavors — look incredible,” Lonborg said. “Our red fruits that are approaching maturity also taste delicious in the field and already have significant color. »
No one I’ve checked with expects above average performance. Drought will. That said, drought years often end up leading to great quality wines.
“My first observation is that the Sta. Rita Hills AVA is experiencing low yields as it is a drought year, but I expect the resulting wines to be very concentrated as the fruit ripens slowly and evenly,” said winemaker Samra Morris. for the Alma Rosa winery. “The 2022 harvest is shaping up to be excellent in terms of quality for the Sta. Rita Hills.”
But here’s a reminder that California is a big state: In the high-altitude wine country of El Dorado County and surrounding areas, harvest season looks set to arrive later this year, in part due to a severe frost which only affected this part of the wine country.
“The quality is excellent for vines that have not been frosted,” said Justin Boeger, winemaker at Boeger Winery. “We had a very late and very cold frost which destroyed about a third of our vineyards. A real double whammy because of all the years where we needed a bigger yield, that was all. So, the negative is a lower yield, but the quality of the remaining fruit is excellent and I’m excited to turn it into wine.”
A new challenge for wineries this year is the shortage of barrels. The San Francisco Chronicle reported earlier this month that a work slowdown at the Port of Oakland has resulted in containers of barrels being stuck at the port, with sales representatives from French cooperages unable to retrieve them. This would be a bigger problem if the yields were large, but for wineries that want to ferment in barrels, it’s a potential headache.
“There are a few coopers that I haven’t gotten to yet,” Cole said. “They assure me that they have released them from the containers. Getting the barrels hasn’t been a problem but getting them…I’ve probably got 70% of the barrels I need. In about 3 to 4 weeks is when I need the majority of these barrels otherwise we will have to improvise the wines will have to go into vats and hang out.
“Over the past two years, with all the curve balls that mother nature has thrown at us, I try to rely on my experience to stay afloat,” Cole said.
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