Baja California in Mexico had one of their most unusual vintages of recent years with a torrential downpour as the usually arid wine valley got hit by the tail end of a hurricane. Heavy rainfall put an early stop to the season, which was also plagued by a heat spike in June. We interview winemaker and sommelier Pedro Poncelis Jnr about how the unusual weather events of 2016 will affect the vintage.
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Vintage Interview: Pedro Poncelis Jnr, Baja California
How will Baja California’s 2016 harvest go down in history?
The 2016 harvest was unusual and complicated. Normally (in recent harvests) the years have been hot with some heat spikes, but nothing extreme. Recent years have also been characterized with zero rain during the harvest. Ripeness is usually intense with high levels of sugar and optimum phenolic maturation, which is why we have high alcohol wines with good body and an aromatic and attractive expression.
In 2016 on the 18th June we have a heat wave in Baja California, with some wine regions reaching 50°C! This caused a lot of dehydration and we lost between 30-40% of the annual production. This heat wave also burnt alot of the leaves, and the plants were left with a limited capacity to continue maturing through their cycle. Without adequate foliage, the grapes didn’t ripen to their normal level of sugars. Add to this the unusual rain in September, which meant we had low brix even though the phenolic maturation finished fine.
How significant was the impact of the hurricane in September?
Climate change has caused some unusual changes in the temperatures of the Pacific Ocean. In my 20 years visiting the wine region, I have never seen a hurricane reach so high up the Baja California peninsula.
Rain was intense and prolonged. Ten percent of the annual rainfall fell in only two days!
The impact of the rain means we had to harvest when the grapes were less ripe than we wanted. What stayed in the vineyards [after the 2 days of rain] had problems of fungal disease. Selection of the grapes became a priority in all wineries.
What varieties are best from the 2016 vintage?
I have tried very good Syrah, Tempranillo and Merlot.
Which varieties suffered the most in 2016?
The Nebbiolos were a complete disaster, and some of the Cabernet Sauvignons got really beaten up too! Later ripening varieties didn’t do very well. And white grapes also suffered because of the heat.
How will 2016’s reds from Mexico compare to other vintages then?
2016 will see wines that aren’t as high in alcohol but will be more elegant wines with good concentration of colour, aroma and flavour.
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