The great news were published on a W. Blake Gray's article last week: 'After suffering drought, fire and pestilence, Northern California is finally enjoying a drama-free harvest, and growers are delighted.
While Mother Nature could intervene at any moment, early reports are that the severe drought is having a predictable (and not bad) effect: the grapes themselves are smaller, which generally means smaller crops but concentrated, high-quality wines.
Moreover, the growing season for grapes started early this year – also drought-related – so the harvest started sooner and is moving faster than usual. That's important because grapes already in the wineries are grapes safely removed from the continuing threat of wildfires in the next month.
White wines in Napa and Sonoma counties are nearly finished, and red wines are steadily coming in. It's still too early to say anything about the quality of Napa Valley Cabernet, and for some consumers that is the wine that will define California's vintage. But if you're a fan of California Pinot Noir, the news is already good.
So far, smoke does not appear to be the widespread issue that it was in 2020. El Dorado County has been troubled by wildfire and Lake and Mendocino counties have had some fire issues, but so far Napa and Sonoma counties have had relatively clear skies.
More importantly, Northern California has had mostly mild weather all summer – a big contrast to brutal heatwaves in much of the country. There have been no extreme heat spikes, and while having almost no rain all summer is bad for most crops, it's different for wine.
"This harvest is a pleasant surprise," said Monste Reece, winemaker at Pedroncelli Winery in Geyserville. "We are having good weather so far with just a few hot days but not as intense as in past harvests. The grapes are maturing at their own pace without rushing. As for now, middle of September, we have all our Zinfandel picked, ready to bring the Chardonnay this week and just waiting for the Cabernet Sauvignon to get ready. The aromatics this year are fantastic. I'm very much looking forward to taste the final wines from this vintage."
According to Blake Gray's article Reece was not the only winemaker to mention how aromatic this year's grapes are. Matt Reid, winemaker at Benessere Vineyard in St Helena, said his yields are far below average, with some varieties down as much as 50 percent. But he likes what he's seeing. "What we have brought in so far is amazing," Reid said. "The aromas around the crush pad are heavenly. Fermentations are proceeding easily and we are seeing great color and extraction. These baby wines have a bright future ahead of them." Mari Jones, president of Emeritus Vineyards in Sebastopol, agreed, saying: "In one word, quality is amazing. The winery smells incredible, and doing punch-downs and sampling tanks is such a treat. Because the berries are so small, the wines are very dark and packed with intense aromas and flavors. We could not be more ecstatic about what we have in the cellar, and we are positively giddy to see how the wines develop."
California, centuries of winemaking...
The state of California was first introduced to Vitis vinifera vines, a species of wine grapes native to the Mediterranean region, in the 18th century by the Spanish missionaries, who planted vineyards with each mission they established. The wine was used for religious sacraments as well as for daily life. The vine cuttings used to start the vineyards came from Mexico and were the descendant of the "common black grape" (as it was known) brought to the New World by Hernán Cortés in 1520. The grape's association with the church caused it to become known as the Mission grape, which was to become the dominant grape variety in California until the 20th century.
The California Gold Rush in the mid-19th century brought waves of new settlers to the region, increasing the population and local demand for wine. The newly growing wine industry took hold in Northern California around the counties of Sonoma and Napa. The first commercial winery in California, Buena Vista Winery, was founded in 1857 by Agoston Haraszthy and is located in Sonoma, California. John Patchett opened the first commercial winery in the area that is now Napa County in 1859. During this period some of California's oldest wineries were founded including Buena Vista Winery, Gundlach Bundschu, Inglenook Winery, Markham Vineyards and Schramsberg Vineyards.
The late 19th century also saw the advent of the phylloxera epidemic, a type of parasite similar to aphids, which had already ravaged France and other European vineyards. Vineyards were destroyed, and many smaller operations went out of business. However, the remedy of grafting resistant American rootstock was well known, and the Californian wine industry was able to rebound quickly, and utilizing the opportunity to expand the plantings of new grape varieties. By the turn of the 20th century, nearly 300 grape varieties were being grown in the state, supplying approximately 800 wineries.
The Californian Modern Era.
The Robert Mondavi Winery was designed to reflect the winemaking history of the Spanish missions. The Californian wine industry slowly recovered from Prohibition. By the 1960s, it was primarily known for its sweet port-style wines made from Carignan and Thompson Seedless grapes and jug wines. However, a new wave of vintners emerged ushering in a renaissance period in California wine production with techniques strengthening the grape produce, fermentation and the bottling processes. Several well-known wineries began in this decade, including Robert Mondavi, Heitz Wine Cellars, and David Bruce Winery in the Santa Cruz Mountains. As the quality of Californian wine improved, the region started to receive international attention. This is how California wines started to evolve...
Nowadays, the state produces some of the best wines in the world and upwards of 90% of all wines made in the United States. If considered a country, it would probably rank third or fourth globally in terms of total wine production. Not only is California a major player on the supply-side of the wine business, the state also provides an opportunity to try non-traditional varietals and blends, challenging the European-led norms of what a wine can and should be. As recognized by author Oz Clarke in his New Encyclopedia of Wine, the influence of California wines essentially wrenched open Europe’s hegemony and monopoly of perception that great wines need to be produced within the confines of the continent.
And that's a wrap! Cheers and see you all next Wednesday!
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