California Harvest Looks Good

... the good news is that the harvest this year looks great. Wine Spectator wrote an amazing report, but it's by subscription so I'll try to cite as much as legally possible ...

- Unusually mild weather this year has permitted the major grape varieties to ripen steadily without a hitch

- A handful of North Coast producers are now picking sparkling wine grapes and early-ripening white varieties, especially Sauvignon Blanc, which show relatively high acid levels.

- Later-ripening varieties on cooler sites, such as Napa Cabernet Sauvignon from the mountains, may not be picked until October, so it's still too early to gauge quality. If the mild weather continues, it could translate to nicely balanced wines with relatively low alcohol levels, but late-season heat could send sugar levels soaring.

- In Napa Valley, the weather has been uneventful, without the intense summer heat spikes that often plague growers. Canopies are green with little irrigation. Vines well-balanced. 

- Modest rainfail, dry and mild spring in North Coast led to budbreak and flowering about two to three weeks earlier than normal. Welcome change from California's 2006 and 2005 vintages, both of which ran late. The dry conditions helped curtail the vines' shoot and leaf growth, directing their energy into maturing the fruit, and also resulted in small berries, which can yield more intense wines.

- Chardonnay and Pinot Noir producers from Sonoma County appellations, as well as Napa, Carneros and Mendocino--expects a small crop due to high cluster ounts but smaller berries (a la 2002). 

- Sparkling wine estates are usually the first to begin picking in earnest. Schramsberg, based on Diamond Mountain, began with Pinot Noir from Napa's Oak Knoll District and Chardonnay from Carneros on Aug. 10, a few days earlier than normal. Bloccks have high acid levels.