harvest reports
Harvest 2003: Halftime
To My Friends:
It's been hot for a month! As far as heat accumulation is concerned, we have just caught up with 2002 and are about two warm weeks behind 2001. What is making 2003 unusual is that, the grapevines are still growing despite the heat. The energy supplied by the late rains we had in April is being put towards growth and is slowing down the grapes commitment to ripen fruit. As of July 23, even though we have had the heat, we are still 7 to 10 days behind 2002 in the ripening process.
As mid-summer approaches, here is where we stand in Sonoma and probably most of the North Coast.
Chardonnay - Carneros
10-15% below average in size. Smaller, looser clusters. Grapes are well-spaced and berry size looks small. The potential hang time looks good with grapes 7 to 10 days late. All this points to high quality, if the weather holds out. Carneros Chardonnay demand actually looks to be tightening for the first time in several years.
Merlot
20-30% below average in size. Windy, cool weather during bloom caused some of the worst shatter in years. When shatter is this severe, you worry about the amount of green 'shot' berries contained in the clusters that do not develop. They have the potential for sour, vegetal flavors. We will have to wait and see what the ultimate effects will be. The supply and demand situation for Merlot will probably be okay because of a large amount of new vineyards coming on line.
Sauvignon Blanc
Average to slightly below average in size. There was not a lot of shatter in Sauvignon Blanc, but clusters are smaller with no shoulders. Vines look very healthy. If the weather holds, Sauvignon Blanc will be excellent but even a little bad weather will compromise it.
Cabernet Sauvignon
5% to 15% above average in size. April rains have created the most vigor in the last four years for Cabernet Sauvignon. At this point, berry size looks small and the clusters are loose, there are just a lot of them. Over the next few weeks we will watch the soil moisture closely and only deficit irrigate - that is, give the vines slightly less water than they would prefer. At veraison, we will thin the harvest leaving only the highest quality and best-positioned grapes on the vine. We have some excellent new vineyards coming on line this year. It will be a later harvest so, as commented before, we need good weather, especially in mid-October.
Pinot Noir - Carneros, Russian River, Sonoma Coast
5% to 10% down in size. Moderate amounts of shatter, especially in newer vineyards. Pinot Noir usually does less well in hot summers, like we are having now, but as we stated this vintage is different so the jury is still out on quality for now. There are many new vineyards coming into production in 2003 and 2004.
Syrah
Average to below average in size. Syrah appeared less fruitful this year. Vines look very healthy and in most cases are continuing to grow. At this point, it looks like a late harvest. Quality is unknown at this point.
In general, it looks like a smaller harvest with the exception of Cabernet Sauvignon. But keep in mind, Cabernet Sauvignon will be thinned back significantly. Potential quality could be high. Bad weather at harvest could be a major problem because disease pressure has been much higher than normal all year due to the wet spring. Just a little rain could get the spore pot boiling!
Benziger Family Vineyards
Sonoma Mountain, Summer 2003