Issue link: https://read.dmtmag.com/i/764739
3 6 V I N E YA R D & W I N E RY M A N A G E M E N T | J a n - F e b 2 017 w w w. v w m m e d i a . c o m "Sauvignon Blanc and Cabernet Sauvignon, our two main variet- ies, were down slightly, but we saw a slight uptick in other variet- ies like Petite Sirah, Zinfandel and Mourvedre." Water supplies played a deter- mining factor for yields in San Joa- quin Valley, according to Vallis. "Farms with normal water tended toward a normal, average crop. Areas without good surface water delivery definitely didn't have the same amount of crop as normal," he says. In some cases, it was as much as 15% off normal. Hopes are high in Lake County for grape quality. "Because of the smaller berry size this harvest, we had great varietal intensity," says Merrilees. "This is the best vin- tage I've seen come off our prop- erties yet. We continue to adapt our farming practices to the Lake County climate and have seen great improvements in grape qual- ity each year." The quality was terrific in the Livermore Valley, says Mirassou, who saw clean fruit and sugar lev- els in the 24 to 25 °Brix range, and alcohol levels at 14% to 14.5%. The signs look good in Lodi, too, where balanced vines and a good long growing season typically add up to a quality year. But "the proof will be in the bottle," says Ledbetter. Although August's Clayton Fire in Lake County wasn't as severe as the three fires in 2015, Mer- rilees says, "It was another heart- breaking fire for Lake County, but we again got lucky with no impact to our vineyards, even though the fire was close." Paso Robles had a brush with t h e C h i m n e y F i r e , e i g h t m i l e s west of Tablas Creek. "We haven't had a fire that close or that big in our history here," says Haas. But aside from some smoky days, it wasn't an issue. Haas tested his grapes to measure for smoke resi- due, and the results were below the perceptible and measurable threshold. Despite the destructive heat- wave, the prognosis for vineyards in Temecula is very good, with acreages on the rise. Harkey says the area's wineries are getting a lot of traffic, wine sales are good and there's a demand for more fruit, causing growers to be bullish on planting more vines. Vineyard acre- age is holding up across the state. Overall, it was another year of early bud break and harvest, lead- ing to speculation that this could be the new normal. Growers were relieved that yields returned to average after a low year, and most winemakers have good to very good expectations for quality. CALIFORNIA OREGON BY SEAN P. SULLIVAN Oregon experienced 2016 as another warm, early year — the fourth straight. "2016 jumped out of the start- ing blocks early with winter warmth and, subsequently, a very early bud break — and never looked back," says Harry Peterson-Nedry of Che- halem Wines in Newberg. "It was ahead at all mileposts and blurred normal differences between sites and elevations." Bud break began in late March in the Eola-Amity Hills. "That's a record for us for sure," says Mimi Casteel of Bethel Heights in Salem. Other areas of the Willa- mette Valley followed in the first week of April. A warm April and May led to a historically early bloom. "2016 was the earliest bloom we've ever had at Sokol Blosser, dating back to the early 1970s," says Alex Sokol Blosser, winegrower and winemak- er at Sokol Blosser in Dayton. He notes that bloom began on May 20 in the Dundee Hills, a full nine days earlier than in 2015. "We had bloom in one of our ear- lier Willamette Valley sites on May 19," says Gary Horner, winemaker at Erath Winery in Dundee. "There