Not All Central California Vineyards Froze

Posted by Christina Herrick|June 20, 2011

There is only once place in the western U.S. where valleys run east to west, and that’s Santa Barbara County. Tucked into the hills and valleys of California’s transverse range of mountains, the Santa Maria Valley’s vineyards experience a direct channel to the nearby Pacific Ocean. This geographic anomaly results in hundreds of mini-micro-climates and a diverse portfolio of wines grown.

“Unfortunately, though, information on vintage conditions throughout California are consolidated into one or two statements in the media,” states Santa Barbara County Vintners’ Association Executive Director Jim Fiolek. “But the fact of the matter is that our vintages are often very different than Northern California regions. The ‘Central Coast’ region is very broad and we repeatedly don’t fit into that profile, either. We are uniquely different here due to the transverse valleys.”

In early April, temperatures in California’s Central Coast region dropped below freezing three days in a row, and according to the Paso Robles Wine Country Alliance, there could be a 50% grape crop loss in the area. A story on Decanter.com stated that earlier varieties such as Pinot Noir and white grapes were particularly hurt by the record cold temperatures. It was the worst April freeze in the Paso Robles area in the past decade.

Riverbench’s vineyard manager Jim Stollberg noted that most vineyards in Santa Maria Valley were spared from the frost. “The vineyards I manage did not see any abnormally low temperatures or dew points — our normal frost damage preventative sprinkler applications protected the tissues. I was surprised to hear of the broad damage in Paso Robles and some areas of Santa Ynez and Santa Rita Hills because it was just another night for us.”

It’s the second consecutive year that the region was exempt from problems seen in other areas. While 2010 was fraught with weather challenges, Riverbench’s consulting winemaker, Chuck Ortman, is extremely pleased with the early results. “The Pinot Noirs from the 2010 vintage are very extracted, with gorgeous black and red fruit flavors. These are some of the best Pinots from Riverbench to date,” he said. “Yet all you hear is that the California 2010 vintage wasn’t so great. Sure, it was long, and we had to make careful harvest decisions, but overall the quality is impressive.”