Early and fast
It's that time of year. Wine grape growers start to get anxious, winemakers start to plot logistics and cellar space, and all watch weather reports with renewed attention. Growers want the fruit off the vines before even a hint of rain or frost, and winemakers keep thinking "a little more hang time will get me just the right flavors and chemistry." Yep, you guessed it. It is harvest and crush time all over the western US.
We were honored that winemaker Joe Forest of Tempus Cellars and Patit Creek Cellars could join us this past weekend for a winemaker dinner and tasting, given the hectic schedule he and others are keeping right now. At one point, Joe was contemplating driving back to Walla Walla after dinner on Friday and returning on Saturday for the tasting, but fortunately the schedule opened up enough for him to spend the night.
The dinner at Fedora was "off the charts," and it gave us a chance to get an update on the Washington harvest. We also chatted via text with some of our winery friends in California, so here is a mid-harvest update on the 2014 vintage.
Early and fast are the two words that transcend all of the reports we are getting. Shortly after the earthquake at the beginning of September, I was corresponding with Russian River Valley grower John Balletto. At that point, he was so busy with harvest that his responses were even more brief than normal and were typically being sent at 4 in the morning, before he would start "picking" for the day.
Friday night, too, Joe told a story that showed just how early he is harvesting. In 2013, he picked Cabernet from the famed Seven Hills Vineyard on Sept. 26, the first time he had ever harvested that varietal from that vineyard in September in his career. This year, he will be picking the same fruit from the same vineyard on Sept. 17 - a full nine days earlier!
Saturday morning, John Lancaster of Skylark confirmed that his Pinot Blanc is completely harvested and fermenting, Grenache will be picked next week, and Syrah the week after. He confirmed what all have said - it is indeed an early harvest. The only exception that John identified for us are some of the vineyards closer to the coast in Sonoma County. The late summer there has been cool and foggy, and has slowed things considerably.
John Abbott, too, of Abeja started harvest on September 5th - an early date for John, who really likes extended hang times to develop that signature Abeja complexity of flavors.
According to all we have talked to, the crop is medium to large in size, nowhere near the bumper crop of 2012 and the nearly-as-big 2013 growing year. The quality though is very good: with a slightly smaller crop, the flavor concentration and chemistry appears to be great. A slight exception is Walla Walla and the Yakima Valley, where the hot summer resulted in the acids being a bit lower than some would like. For winemakers that choose to chance the weather and opt for extended hang time, the acids will likely come more into line.
The "fast" is the other part of the equation that affects logistics in the cellar. Varietals are ripening very close to each other, and picking them in short succession results in a bit of a log jam in cellars. Primary fermentation needs to be completed; color extraction and wine flavor and structure profiles need to be right before the wine is transferred from the fermentation vessels. The tanks or other vessels must then be cleaned before the next batch of grapes goes in. So, that means a lot of long days and nights for winery crews when the harvest is compressed, like this one.
Smoke damage in parts of Washington and Oregon are one remaining area of concern. Until the wine is barreled down, we won't really know the impact of this summer's wild fires, but there is concern.
While there are still a lot of grapes to be picked, it looks like the harvest of the 2014 vintage is well in hand. Assuming we stay dry and warm for just a bit longer, the year looks to be a success.
If there is a topic you would like to read about, or if you have 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 has also worked as a judge in many wine competitions; his articles are published around the country 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.