The Fall 2011 Viticulture Report

October 2011
from Michael J. Neal

The 2011 Harvest is finally getting started… Very slow and unpredictable.

The spring and summer were anything but unusual in many ways.As the weather began to feel somewhat normal, we were in April and early May. The vines had awakened and short shoots emerged from dormancy and began the seasons’ grand cycle. We were hit with the first wave of cool, wet weather the first week of June dumping more than 2 inches of hard intense rain on the blooming clusters. This affected a lot of vineyards, especially those who grew Sauvignon Blanc, Cabernet Sauvignon and some Chardonnay. It was really a matter of rain and timing of variety during bloom as well as site location. Very warm temperatures followed and at the close of June another large storm dumped another 1 to 1.5 inches of rain. This created high powdery mildew pressure, greater botrytis rot pressure and an increase of spray intervals as well as material use age.

The summer was moderately cool with many days fogged in until 10 a.m. or 11 a.m. yielding to sunshine. As time progressed, we knew the harvest was going to be delayed. Last year was late and this season appeared to be later.

The first grapes were harvested on September 2nd and were Chardonnay for sparkling wine. We then followed the next week with some Sauvignon Blanc in Yountville, and this lasted until the end of September. October saw our first reds picked and delivered. Then the rains came! Delayed harvest once again. As I write this another ¾ inches fell October 10th & 11th.

Drastic measures have been taken to care for the grapes, pulling leaves around the fruit for better exposure, using blowers to remove excessive water from within the clusters and the beginning of fungicide treatments, especially on late ripening blocks of grapes. The main reason is spores of botrytis activate to create the “noble rot”. There is also the presence of sour rot, aspergillus niger and green mold. Sour rot is caused by a complex of microorganisms, including bacteria and yeasts. The pungent vinegar odor associated with sour rot comes from acetic acid produced by acetobacter bacteria. Any of these types of rots are not good for wine making. All wine makers deserve rot-free fruit. Damaging levels of disease occur in seasons without spring conditions followed by rainfalls just before harvest.

In summary, the harvest is 10-14 days later than last year, the crop is 20-50% off of normal and the substantial rains started 10-12 days earlier into the harvest. Winemakers and grower representatives are trying to make the best decisions possible about harvesting your fruit. Let them decide when the fruit is ready for picking so there are enough tanks to harvest the Napa Valley harvest, which is usually a 10-20 day process for reds. As schedules develop, I will let you know when the harvest will be. We are in constant communication with your winery representative as to their desired picking schedules. We are all trying to do the best we can under these crazy weather conditions!

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