Issue link: http://read.dmtmag.com/i/230154
progressed quickly. "It was the kind of vintage where if you weren't in your vineyard tasting fruit, I could see people getting burned pretty easily this year," said Trey Busch of Sleight of Hand Cellars. With record high temperatures in the first half of September looking like they would significantly compress the harvest season – and potentially throw the resulting wines out of balance as Brix continued to accumulate and winemakers waited for flavors to develop – things suddenly changed. And this is where the second part of the story begins "We went from really hot weather – we had high 90s around the 10th, 11th and 12th of September – and then boom!" said Richard Funk of Saviah Cellars, which sources the majority of its grapes from Walla Walla Valley. "All of the sudden, we're in a cool phase and it didn't really warm back up." Indeed, dry and cooler-than-average temperatures throughout most of the remainder of the growing season quickly changed the complexion of harvest. Willow Vineyard. However, Sauer noted that despite the cool-down, it still ended up as a warm vintage at what is typically one of the valley's cooler sites. "For us, we had 3,270 heat units," he said, noting that he had 3,100 in 2003. "That's by far the most we've ever had." Josh Maloney of Milbrandt Vineyards on the Wahluke Slope – along with many others – said that with the mid-September cooldown, Brix did not accumulate as much as might have been expected, considering the warmth of the growing season. "Many of the lower-yielding vineyards hit 25-26 Brix and then stalled, which happens most years," he said. "I think some people were expecting the sugar accumulation to keep going along a straight line and were worried they would end up with 28 Brix or higher. We didn't see that happen." For those who waited, the October weather provided ideal conditions for extended hang time. "We're glad we didn't panic in earlyto mid-September and pick too much too quickly," said Bob Betz of Betz Family Winery, which sources Red Willow Vineyard in Yakima Valley experienced a warm season overall, despite the mid-harvest cool down. "We essentially had no heat in October," said Yakima Valley grower Mike Sauer of his Red 48 V I N E YA R D & WINE RY MANAGEM ENT | Jan - Feb 2014 grapes primarily from the Yakima Valley. "We stayed our course and, in retrospect, are really glad we did. w w w. v wm m e d i a . c o m