2013 California Winegrape Harvest Report

Vintners and growers throughout California report another high-quality and generous vintage in 2013. Following a warm and dry spring with near ideal conditions for bringing grapes to maturity, harvest was remarkably smooth and wineries are at capacity and working with some very high quality winegrapes.

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“Early on, the season was marked by healthy winter rains, followed by a spring and summer that showed some of the lowest rainfalls we have seen in a long time,” said Steve Smit, vice president of vineyard operations for Constellation Brands. “We saw very few frost nights in the spring, few significant heat spikes and almost no high wind events. All of this — combined with uniform growing days — is exactly what a winemaker wants to see leading up to harvest. Across the board, our fruit showed great balance of acidity and sugar, good color and tannin structure, and optimal flavor development.”

According to Nat DiBuduo, president of Allied Grape Growers, the crop estimate in 2013 equals that of 2012. “We believe the winegrape crush could be four million tons again,” he stated. “While the coastal regions are probably down in crop size, the interior regions are estimated to be as big as or bigger than in 2012. More new acreage has come into production this year, mostly in the interior,” said DiBuduo.

Winemakers and vineyard managers around the state are lauding the excellent quality of the vintage. “In 2013, Monterey growers were blessed with another great vintage,” said Charlie Hossom, director of viticulture at Delicato Family Vineyards. “It is a bit unusual to have a vintage of this quality following the standout vintage we had in 2012.”

Paul Draper, CEO and winemaker at Ridge Vineyards, called it “a truly great vintage.” “With virtually no rain since last December, the growing season began early. Our vineyards at Monte Bello in the Santa Cruz Mountains are not irrigated, so the lack of spring rain meant grapes at harvest that were among the smallest we have seen. Harvest began a record two weeks early and we were picking fully ripe fruit as quickly as possible so as not to allow it to over ripen. Flavors and color extraction were intense. Tannins are quite fine and acidity firm. Typically we see variation in depth and complexity across the 40 some parcels, but this year virtually every one produced exceptionally high quality.”

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Winemakers in the North Coast are equally optimistic. “The 2013 growing season began early, with a warm and dry spring, and the weather stayed absolutely beautiful all the way through an early harvest,” said Jon Ruel, president of Trefethen Family Vineyards and president of the Napa Valley Grapegrowers. “The whites, already dry, taste fantastic and yields were a bit above average. Grower reports on yields for the red varieties are less consistent, with some ‘up’ and others ‘down,’ but everyone agrees that the quality appears to be excellent. Cabernet Sauvignon is showing very strong tannins and color early in fermentation leading to some earlier pressing. We feel very fortunate to have had such a great harvest on the heels of the excellent 2012.”

“For Sonoma County Chardonnay and Pinot Noir, the 2013 growing season essentially offered conditions that were various degrees of wonderful,” said James Hall, co-founder and winemaker at Patz & Hall. “There was a synchronicity to how everything developed. Every time it looked like there might be a challenge, Mother Nature delivered just the right weather to turn the potential issue into a positive. For both our reds and whites, the wines are bright and energetic, with detailed aromatics, clearly delineated vineyard character and lots of complexity. We work with a number of great growers in Sonoma County and beyond, and everyone is incredibly happy, verging on ecstatic.”

In Lodi, Aaron Lange, viticulture operations for Lange Twins Winery, also noted an early start to harvest. “Weather cooperated during harvest with daytime temperatures in the 80s to low 90s and only in the 50s at night, which was perfect to develop flavor intensity. The yields were a little larger than anticipated, making crop thinning a must on certain varietals to ensure quality. We had an unexpected one-half inch of rain in mid-September that made us worry about our late ripening varieties, but those who had aggressively thinned early in the season and continued to manage crop closely after the rains were rewarded with excellent color and flavor intensity, especially in Zinfandel.”

“The 2013 harvest looks like it’s going to be a classic in Paso Robles,” said Jason Haas, partner and general manager at Tablas Creek Vineyard. “A growing season without either heat spikes or cool stretches produced our earliest finish to harvest since 2001, and one of our shortest ever. Yields were just below average, down 20% from 2012, with good ripeness and balance. We’re seeing very dark colors already and excellent intensity, similar in many ways to 2007, though a touch lower sugars at picking.”

“California’s excellent 2013 vintage statewide will allow wine lovers in the U.S and the world to continue to enjoy their favorite Golden State wines,” said Robert P. (Bobby) Koch, president and CEO of Wine Institute. “As the world’s fourth largest wine producer, we are proud of our skilled vintners and growers, recognized for growing and making their wines in a sustainable manner.”

For more information, including more quotes from growers across the state, go to http://www.wineinstitute.org/resources/pressroom/11182013.

Source: Wine Institute

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