Californian winemakers and producers seem pleased with the 2016 harvest, which seems to be one of the more laid back vintages in recent years – especially following the difficult harvest of 2015. Drought was still an issue, but milder temperatures eased some of the water pressure. We interview three of the winemakers we visited earlier in the year in Napa and Central Coast California to get their impressions of the 2016 vintage so far…
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Vintage Interview: Steve Matthiasson, Viticulture Consultant & Winemaker Matthiasson Wines (Napa)
How was 2016’s vintage compared to recent years?
Fantastic. We had a moderate sized crop, with a very early and warm spring after adequate rains. The we had a dry summer and fall. The weather turned mild in July and cool in August, but the harvest was still early due to the warm spring.
What were the greatest viticultural or winemaking challenges for 2016?
We are still dealing with drought… but overall it was a forgiving year: very mild weather, nice and early, and no bad weather events. We had high disease pressure due to the mild weather, but nothing serious.
Which wines and varieties do you think will be exceptional (or above average) in 2016?
Both reds and whites were above average, it was all around a great year.
How do are year’s Cabernet Sauvignon wines shaping up?
Deep colour, layered flavours, low herbaceous character, nice acidity, low sugars, soft tannins.
Vintage Interview: Bob Foley, Robert Foley Vineyards (Napa: Howell Mountain, Mount Veeder, Calistoga, St Helena)
How does 2016’s harvest compare to recent vintages?
October 21st was our last day of harvest with the Petit Verdot pick. This was my 40th harvest as a Napa winemaker and I can honestly say, one of the easiest with a very steady relaxed pace. There was never a moment when we felt like we were struggling to catch up or to stay ahead… Plenty of time to pay attention to details!
We had an early budbreak (as we did in 2015) but the drought cycle was not nearly as severe this year and some late spring rains gave the growing vines a well-appreciated drink. Summer heat in the Napa Valley was a feature of the first half of summer, in June and July before the grapes had completed veraison. August was unusually cool this year, in a month where heat spikes are common.
The marine layer was thick and persistent all month long – the month of Fogust!! So fruit softened and ripened under slow steady conditions without dehydration and premature sugar accumulation.
One interesting point: The high mountain fruit at 2000-foot elevation experienced no fog, being about 500 feet above the top of the fog layer. So while there was a cooling affect, the warm sunshine moved the ripening right along – there was no waiting until mid-November this year!
Crop levels this year were much better than the very light crop of 2015, generally only a little lighter than normal. So with a combination of early bud break and cool August, the crush began pretty much on a normal schedule: Pinot Noir the second week of September to start things off…through to Cabernet during the second week of October. Everything thoroughly ripe.
Where there any great challenges this year?
Honestly, the only real challenge this harvest that I have heard mentioned around Wine Country relates to mustering enough man-power to do the hand-picking. We are fortunate to have a Dream Team crew who are with us all year, every year so that did not apply to us.
What is the character of the wines this year?
From my perspective, we had a fantastic harvest in 2016 and the resulting wines are expressive and full of character. Flavour development was noticed in the early stages of ripening and developed and concentrated with hang time. Some of the best fruit I have seen.
Vintage Interview: Randall Grahm, Bonny Doon Vineyard (Central Coast)
How does this year’s vintage compare to recent vintages (or a ‘normal’ vintage)?
Vintage was a bit earlier than “normal,” though the whole concept of “normal” now pretty much needs to be thrown on the slag heap of history. We seem to be resetting to approximately 2 weeks earlier than the old “normal.” Vintage was abundant; vineyards that had appropriate crop levels appear to be of very high quality. We did see a slightly higher level of acidity compared to other vintages in grapes from virtually all regions.
Virtually all of the grapes we purchased were from the Central Coast – primarily Monterey County but also extending down to San Luis Obispo and Santa Barbara Counties.
What were the greatest challenges for the vineyard and winemaking in 2016?
Biggest challenges in the vineyard was controlling yield, and the concomitant issue of insuring evenness of ripening (both addressed by judicious thinning). Failure to adequately shoot-thin and cluster thin also exacerbated problems of mildew (poorer spray coverage) and ultimately bunch rot.
Which wines/varieties do you think will be exceptional (or above average) in 2016?
Typically low acid grape varieties as well as those less susceptible to mildew.
Which varieties suffered most (will be below average) in 2016?
Any variety sensitive to powdery mildew possibly took a large loss or was potentially compromised in quality. Chardonnay is notoriously sensitive. Varieties that tend to overcrop were also potentially compromised if appropriate thinning was not done.
Can you characterise the style of 2016 wines?
We saw preternatural levels of acidity across a number of varieties. I’m not quite sure to what to attribute this characteristic, but possible unevenness of ripeness and thus presence of some under-ripe fruit. As a result, I think that the wines produced will generally be less generous in their youth, but potentially capable of longer ageing.
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