Long harvest winds down
Grape crop smaller, but 3-month crush may mean better flavors
Cabernet grapes hang on the vine at Windsor Oaks ranch Monday.
Photos by CHRISTOPHER CHUNG / The Press DemocratPublished: Tuesday, November 6, 2007 at 3:49 a.m.
Last Modified: Monday, November 5, 2007 at 9:00 p.m.
So much for a quick crush.
The Sonoma County grape harvest that some predicted would be over in a few weeks has stretched on for more than three months as a handful of winemakers seeking intense flavors are taking advantage of unseasonably warm weather to push "hang-time" to new limits.
"This harvest has stretched out forever," said Nick Frey, president of the Sonoma County Winegrape Commission. "It's stressful."
The vast majority of grapes in Sonoma County have been picked, delivered to wineries, and begun their magical transformation into some of the nation's finest wines.
This year's crop is predicted to be about 15 percent smaller than last year, or around 185,000 tons, Frey said. Grape prices have risen slightly, however, especially for hot varietals like pinot noir and chardonnay, so the total value of the crop should be about 9 percent lower than last year, or about $390 million, Frey said.
The 2007 harvest began Aug. 6 in Sonoma County with grapes for sparkling wine, and accelerated in late August when a heat wave flooded winery tanks with tons of grapes far faster than many wineries expected.
"We had everything filled up within 10 days," said Robert Rex, winemaker at Deerfield Ranch Winery in Kenwood. "It made us quite nervous."
Cooler weather and some light rain descended on the North Coast in early September, slowing the harvest and giving wineries time to empty their tanks and prepare for the final push.
But instead the harvest has proceeded in fits and starts, with warmer cycles broken by occasional cool blasts, and downright frigid nighttime temperatures that kept the grapes from ripening quickly.
That was fine for a while, as winemakers like to give grapes a longer "hang time" on the vine, believing it can help develop more complex flavors in their wines.
But when 3 inches of rain fell on Santa Rosa in mid-October, many were convinced the season was over, making a hectic, muddy end to harvest for many.
Others eyed the long-range forecasts and gambled that a break in the weather might dry out their grapes, prevent fungus from setting in, and give them a few more days of ripening.
"That was a risky decision, but I think the people who made it came out OK," Frey said.
Temperatures have remained in the 70s and 80s ever since.
Rex brought in about 10 tons of cabernet Monday and plans to bring in 5 more tons today from a vineyard in the Chalk Hill appellation east of Windsor.
That particular vineyard block is at the bottom of a canyon that is very cool, and ripens slower than most of the other vineyards.
"I like long hang times, but I'm not looking for over-extracted flavors," Rex said. "We want ripeness and these (grapes) were being stubborn."
Rex's grapes come from the Windsor Oaks ranch, a 700-acre property with about 250 acres of vineyards that provide fruit for about 40 winemakers, mostly in Sonoma County.
The vineyard holds back a small amount of fruit for its own wines, and managing partner Doug Lumgair said he's thrilled with the results to date.
The lighter crop has been caused by smaller berry sizes, but that's a good thing because of the high ratio of flavor-rich skin to pulp, he said.
"We've been very, very happy," Lumgair said. "We've had the color and fruit flavor extraction."
The lighter crop should have other positive impacts for vintners and growers as well. The massive 2005 crop that depressed grape prices and flooded the market with good, inexpensive wine is quickly fading into history, and this smaller harvest will hasten that process, said Bill Turrentine, a Novato-based wine broker.
"We're certainly seeing a healthier marketplace," Turrentine said. "Sales are having a chance to catch up with supply."
While some savvy winemakers can do very well in a period of oversupply of wine, growers and established wineries have suffered for several years with too much wine, Turrentine said.
As consumer demand for better wines increases and little new vineyard land is planted, Turrentine expects supplies to tighten next year and in the future.
"Most of the industry does better when there's not a big excess," he said.
Most also do better when the harvest is compressed into weeks, not months,
Rod Berglund, winemaker at Joseph Swan Vineyards in Forestville, has two more small vineyards to go, one with mourvedre grapes and another with some cabernet sauvignon.
He, like Rex, says he's ready to wrap up the 2007 vintage.
"A week ago last Friday, we brought in the last of our zinfandel, and when I threw that last box, it finally hit me how tired I was," Berglund said.
You can reach Staff Writer Kevin McCallum at 521-5207 or kevin.mccallum@pressdemocrat.com.
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