California’s late harvest
Cool weather has delayed the California harvest, or crush, which is now underway. Bloomberg reports that the harvest will be the biggest in four years, not exactly what the industry needs as it still grapples with oversupply. But the growers and winemakers in the article sound bullish.
I recently received this correspondence and photo from Patrick Campbell at Laurel Glen in Sonoma:
9/15/05
Greetings from a foggy and unseasonably cool September.
We’re just now pulling out of a couple of weeks of heavy fog and cool temperatures here in the north coastal region of California. By now, most of the Chardonnay would have been picked and growers in the warmers areas would be assembling crews to bring in cabernet. Not this year! Most of the chardonnay is still on the vine and basically in a holding pattern until the weather warms up again.
Fortunately, the weatherman says that we’re in for at least a couple of weeks of rainless, seasonally normal temperatures beginning Sunday. And looking on the bright side, flavors are particularly vivid this year, perhaps because of the cool summer? No blockbuster, overripe, overblown cabernets will likely be made this year, which will be a nice change!
Also fortunately, as you can see from the attached photo [above], for many days the fog has not extended as high as Laurel Glen: while the vineyards in the valley are enclosed in the grey and cool fog, we’re bathed in bright sunlight for most of the day.
To be continued!
