Crop and vintage updates

We are approaching and in some cases have already arrived at the "white knuckle" point in the growing season for winemakers and wine grape farmers alike, harvest, so while we write often about the wine grape crop and vintage notes it seems appropriate to do so again. While the growing season to date has been positive in the appellations of the Western U.S. the next month to two can be the most crucial as temperatures moderate and grapes reach the point where they are harvested.

Between California and the Northwest we see two different reports on the crop and coming, or in some cases commenced harvest. From California nearly all is positive! While the size of the crop appears to be down slightly from 2012 it is already being considered a great year with a decent sized harvest, and an early one. The size appears to be a bit smaller than 2012 due to smaller berries. While the bunch number and consistency are very good the grapes just aren't as big resulting in lower tonnage, this is not necessarily bad as flavor concentration and balance may be better. The harvest in California is running at least 2 weeks early. The crop is ripe and balancing nicely so picking of some whites and whites and reds for sparkling wine programs has already started. We saw a Facebook post from one of our favorite growers in the Russian River Valley two weeks ago with pictures of Pinot Noir for sparkling wine already being picked. This is a very early start indeed and it appears that barring a drastic cool down or early rains picking should be completed by the end of October.

Here in the Northwest the story is less clear. While in general the crop is looking very good, and similarly to California slightly smaller the results differ widely depending on which grower or winemaker you are talking to and where their grapes are growing. It appears that the heat and on again off again rain throughout the summer has resulted in wide ranges of grape ripeness and balance. We had an extended conversation with Gordy Venneri of Walla Walla Vintners last week and the example we discussed is a great illustration of the challenges.

He has a block of Merlot that as of last week was at 21 brix, which from a sugar content perspective is nearly time for harvest, but Gordy said point blank "We need some cool weather to slow things down." The reason is the acids are not yet there, without acids being at the proper level the wine will lack age worthiness, balance, and structure. Acids elevate as the nights cool and overall the daytime highs drop, so the dilemma is risking sugars getting too high resulting in overly alcoholic wines while you wait for the acids to reach proper levels or harvest without proper acid.

Other winemakers have indicated that the bunches are very inconsistent in berry size and ripeness they speculate from the frequent heat spikes. The good news is with it only being early September barring drastic cooling or early drenching rains there is still plenty of time for all to come together. Only time will tell but we are hopeful that given overall quality so far all will work out.

We had lunch last week with Marc Cutino from California Chardonnay and Pinot Noir powerhouse Talbott Winery. We tasted through his portfolio including 2010 and 2011 Pinot Noir and his first release of 2012, the Sleepy Hollow Estate Logan Chardonnay. His 2010 Pinot was among the best I have tried from that troubled vintage. His 2012 Chardonnay was nothing short of spectacular, not surprising given the caliber of winemaking and a fabulous growing year in '12.

The tasting of his 2010 and 2011 wines though is more informative. The challenges of these back to back years is well documented for Western US appellations, cool temperatures, early and frequent rain, it was tough on most all wineries and growers, but there are bright spots showing up and patterns that are detectable. We are finding more and more that the best wines are from winemakers who adjusted their winemaking to match the crop. Those that limited the time in barrel, employed more used barrels with lower toast levels, and were willing to ferment in small lots as the grapes were ready for harvest have produced very good wines. While those producers who stuck to a "recipe" regardless of the grape qualities have produced unbalanced and in some cases dreadful wines. This lends support to those who advocate buying producers over vintage.

For wine consumers you should continue to try before you buy wines from '10 and '11, and as always consulting your favorite wine professional will give you a "leg up" when it comes to selecting wines that will please your palate.

If there is a topic you would like to read about or questions on wine you can email George@thedinnerpartyshop.com or make suggestions by contacting the Healthy Community section at the Coeur d'Alene Press.

George Balling is co-owner with his wife Mary Lancaster of the dinner party - a wine and table top decor shop in Coeur d'Alene by Costco. George is also the managing judge of The North Idaho Wine Rodeo and is the wine editor for Coeur d'Alene Magazine (www.cdamagazine.com). You can learn more about the dinner party at www.thedinnerpartyshop.com. You can get all of these articles as well as other great wine tips by friending us on Facebook http://www.facebook.com/#!/dinnerpartyshop.