Napa Valley 2008 Harvest Report
Crazy Start, Small Crop, but Winemakers are Delighted with Results!
Winegrowers across the renowned Napa Valley met the challenges of a crazy weather year, harvesting fruit with incredible concentration which, by all accounts, is showing 2008 as a low-yielding, yet high-quality vintage from Napa Valley. Mother Nature may have lightened the load in the vineyard, but what's being revealed in the winery is very well structured, concentrated, elegant wines from initial reports as presented by the Napa Valley Vintners (NVV), the non-profit trade association representing 330 wineries in the Napa Valley appellation.
From around the appellation, vintners reported in on their impressions.
"The pattern of great vintages usually follows the adage that a small crop and smaller berries results in more of an expression of terroir and more concentrated flavors."
Luc Morlet, Winemaker, Chateau Boswell
"Two consecutive years of drought and a wild spring, toss in a little 'hot!' in August, and the result is a substantially lower than normal yield in most vineyards. From a winemaking standpoint, the crop reduction was generally regarded as a good thing, as quality of wines has benefited dramatically. The recent cool fall weather has continued to lengthen hang times and Cabernet Sauvignon has been the beneficiary. I'm seeing much more clarity of fruit: true varietal characters are better defined and more intense. Color is superb as are aromatics, flavors and silkiness of tannins."
Mike Westrick, Vice President of Winemaking, Sterling Vineyards
"2008 was a year and harvest of extremes. It started with 10 consecutive days of frosty conditions in March and April, continued to variable fruit set in May and ended in one of our longest harvests, with Cabs coming in starting on September 5 in Conn Valley and ending on October 24 for Howell Mountain. The crop was probably the lowest yielding in 20 years and the resulting wines are showing extreme concentration but with higher acids and lower PH that typical. The wines have great color to accompany their concentrated flavors, they should be wines of great ageability."
Philippe Melka, Consulting Winemaker, Vineyard 29
The Growing Season
In contrast to 2007, the New Year began with intense storms that brought high winds and heavy rains to the region, but the precipitation soon waned and for the second year in a row, Napa Valley along with the rest of the north coast of California, received little more than 60% of its normal rainfall. In fact, the spring season was one of the driest on record with virtually no rainfall. The drier soils prompted vines to push out early, providing the "perfect storm" for frigid, dry air to create conditions for the deepest and longest frost period in decades.
As vines all over the appellation were budding, the sheer number of days of frost threatened the future of the crop. The hard decisions on which frost protection systems to employ had to be weighed against resources available. Overhead irrigation is a top choice in many vineyard blocks, but growers were concerned that they would be depleting their wells and not have water available for the growing season. Wind machines were fired up nightly and local residents were keenly aware of the cold as they could hear the roar of the propellers circulating the air. Unfortunately, in some locations, circulating the air was not a deterrent as there was no warmer air to offset the cold air around the vines, the ambient temperatures at all levels were below freezing. Some growers, especially those in the eastern hills around the Howell Mountain AVA were low on water for overhead irrigation or farmed in areas that rarely see any frost and were therefore hit hardest. Some growers reported losses of thirty percent or more. Though a second budding occurred, the fruit set was thin and uneven.
"We had the driest Spring in maybe 30 years, early bud break, a huge frost season for Napa Valley. Some locations counted 22-24 days of wind machines and overhead sprinklers - the most in more than twenty, or possibly thirty years. As the season progressed we had some cooling and rain at bloom, a relatively cool summer, delayed, irregular veraison, requiring careful crop thinning - then a big hot spell in early September.
There was no particular disease pressure; we didn't see much powdery mildew this year, had no botrytis, no particular bugs to worry about except the Grape Vine Mealy bug, and so far the Glassy Winged Sharpshooter has not arrived. The latest bug is the Light Brown Apple Moth - basically not in Napa."
Chris Howell, Winemaker and General Manager, Cain Vineyard and Winery
"WOW! Mother Nature has thrown almost everything at us this year except a summer hail storm! A stingy rainy season was followed by the worst frosts we have seen in over thirty years. Many growers in areas not usually affected by spring frosts were burned, literally."
Michael Weis, Winemaker, Groth Vineyards and Winery
Daytimes during the spring were picture-perfect, yet the cold temperatures and frost threat held on for more than three weeks. Then, within the same week that many had been irrigating for frost protection, vineyards were irrigated because of a multi-day heat spike that brought early season temperatures into the triple digits in many parts of the appellation and at the time that vines were beginning to flower, another time when fruit and vine development is particularly susceptible to extremes. From a season that might have set a larger than normal crop, after the fruit set, fewer clusters with smaller berries appeared to be the norm all around the Napa Valley. The dryness of the season produced less vine canopy, and allowed the vines to focus on fruit production. Fortunately, the summer season continued with cooler, consistent temperatures. Had the summer been hot, the lack of canopy could have been a major problem in not providing shelter for the clusters from the sun. A benefit of the dry year found very little pest infestation in the vines, little mold or mildew problems and very healthy vines.
Because of the early vine development in spring, growers were initially predicting a very early harvest, however because of the cooler summer it started just a little ahead of normal. As grapes for sparkling wines began to be harvested in mid-August, the lighter white varieties began in earnest toward the third week of August. Then, a week-long heat spell over the Labor Day holiday ratcheted everyone into high gear as several varieties were coming to ripeness all at once. The pace of harvest was break-neck with cellar crews often working around the clock to crush the fruit that was coming in all at once. Vintners were crushing Sauvignon Blanc and Chardonnay as well as Pinot Noir and Merlot virtually one atop the other.
"What a roller coaster ride. We started August 12, two days later than the very early 07 vintage. It took three weeks to bring in the first third of our Sauvignon Blanc, then ten days, during a heat spell (of early September), to bring in the second two-thirds. Meanwhile Cabernet sugars were spiking..."
Kristin Belair, Winemaker, Honig Vineyard and Winery
"Usually a dry spring with a light crop means an early harvest. However, the weather during the rest of the summer trended cooler than average which slowed down ripening to some degree. And then, in late August and early September, we had a heat spell, including seven days with high temperatures over 100F. This heat seemed to nicely finish up the blocks that were nearly ready and we brought in our first Chardonnay on September 4, about a week earlier than usual. Other blocks, however, seemed to stall and then only slowly inch towards ripeness each week. In fact, we just picked our last block of Chardonnay-- in the middle of October, about two weeks later than usual."
Jon Ruel, Vice President of Vineyards and Winery Operations, Trefethen Family Vineyards
Then, just a quickly as the heat arrived, it was as if a switch had been turned and the temperatures dropped to well below normal. This allowed cellar crew to catch up, and with the following weeks returning to seasonally normal temperatures with warm days and cool nights, the red varieties, which were largely untouched to date, languished on the vine with optimal hang time, excellent ripening and balanced structure. The light rain events in late September and early October had no effect on the grapes or the harvest in Napa Valley.
Early Notes by Variety
Sparkling, Whites and Lighter Reds
"Grapes destined for sparkling wines were harvested from August 8 through September 8, making it a very compressed sparkling harvest over just four weeks. The first grapes picked were Block 301 Pinot Noir from our Yountville ranch just outside the winery. Overall sparkling quality is outstanding with bright, vibrant fruit expression and crisp acidity, thanks to the cool growing season."
Rick Aldine, Director of Winemaking, Domaine Chandon
"...all of the Sauvignon Blanc tanks are done fermenting and we have done our first round of tasting. Nice wines!"
Kristin Belair
"The harvest season is coming to a close and what an interesting growing season this has been. Like a good tennis match, this season has been all over the court with the final finish looking like the Vintner Grower team will be winning over Mother Nature. The Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc came in just absolutely perfect in mid-to-late September. Warm but not too hot weather throughout the season assisted in keeping the fruit from raisining."
Susan Boswell, Owner, Chateau Boswell
"White wines are the big story for 2008 in Napa Valley—phenomenal structure, very exciting!"
Garen Staglin, Owner, Staglin Family Vineyards
"The white wines that are already dry show wonderful balance with very concentrated aromas. We have seen slightly higher pH than usual in our Chardonnay which should enhance the mouthfeel of these wines."
Jon Ruel
"This harvest was characterized by naturally high acidity and very good maturity levels, thanks to average to below average yields. The resulting wines show a very lively fruit flavors and vibrant Pinot Noir flavors. Overall, the 2008 vintage looks extremely promising at this stage."
Jerome Cherry, Winemaker, Saintsbury
Cabernet Sauvignon and the Structured Reds
"Because it was such a dry growing season, yields are down and that seems fairly common throughout the valley. Low yields typically mean high quality and this year's fruit is excellent with very concentrated flavors, particularly off our Spring Mountain estate. Because we took in fewer tons than anticipated, we have some tank space to play with that would otherwise not be available. I'm having fun with small batches, doing five-day cold soaks, for example, to extract great color, which should prove to be a great asset come blending time."
Chris Millard, Winemaker, Newton Vineyard
"Unusual weather patterns during bloom and set wreaked havoc with some varieties, greatly impacting tonnage yields...All of this has been made somewhat irrelevant by our typical "Indian Summer" with dry, warm temperatures which have allowed the remaining red grapes to gracefully mature on the vines.
Through all of this the wines are quite lovely. Low yields from small grapes and small clusters that ripened at lower sugars are providing us with great balance, flavors and aromas. The reds are loaded with color that is expressing itself in the wines, a blessing for those folks who have been patient in the face of adversity. Overall, 2008 is another keeper!"
Michael Weis
"There have been many similarities to the previous vintage, but the degree of flavor and expression are a bit more pronounced. It looks like another elegant, non-aggressive vintage with excellent color, nice balance and, of course, that rich, distinctive flavor."
Tom Rinaldi, Winemaker, Provenance Vineyards
Field Note: Cabernet Sauvignon is king in Napa Valley representing nearly 40% of the harvest and bringing more than $4300 per ton on average. Black varieties, overall, account for about three-quarters of all grape varieties harvested in the appellation.
"In September I thought we might be done by October 1 but then the fickle weather turned from hell fire to fair and we were back to a waiting game. Two separate harvests in one year and a miracle that we made brilliant wines again."
Aaron Pott, Consulting Winemaker, Blackbird Vineyards
Final Notes on the Season
"2008 has been a very sneaky year. We all expected a very early and rapid harvest but instead it has been a slow and steady one, at least here on Howell Mountain. While we feel in our gut that we are way behind, we are actually right on schedule and so we are fighting against a feeling that is contradicted by the facts."
Pat Stotesbery, Owner, Ladera Vineyards
Each year growers and vintners adapt and change as the conditions in the field change day to day. The level of vine management in superior quality regions like Napa Valley find growers with tools to react to almost anything thrown at them, it has been said that agriculture in Napa Valley is nearly elevated to the art of horticulture in how each vine, each block is nuanced to grow these high-quality wine grapes. Twenty or 30 years ago, vineyard crews would work the vineyard three times: prune, sucker and pick. Today many viticulturists say their crews make more than 20 passes though each vineyard, individually managing each vine’s canopy for optimal sun to shade exposure, positioning only the finest clusters to continue through veraison to harvest and pre-selecting from the vine the best to be taken to the winery for crush. While other winegrowing regions are brining in 10, 2 or 16 tons per acre, Napa Valley vintners are keenly selective bringing in only the best, averaging not more than four tons per acre and in many cases far less. Of note, Napa Valley accounts for just 4% of California's production, yet its wines provide for about a third of the economic impact of the state’s wine industry.
While a lighter than average vintage, 2008 looks to be another where vintners and growers in Napa Valley will continue their well-earned reputation for excellence in the world of wine.
And finally, 2008 was a year of note as the 40 th anniversary of the Napa Valley Agricultural Preserve, the first in America, which permanently protects more than 38,000 acres for agriculture on the valley floor. The Ag Preserve is a cornerstone for the region which not only established the urban footprint for the municipalities in the county back in 1968, but is what has maintained the rural and agricultural nature of America's most renowned winegrowing region.
About the NVV
Now in our seventh decade, the Napa Valley Vintners (NVV) non-profit trade association is the sole organization responsible for promoting and protecting the Napa Valley appellation as the premier winegrowing region in the world. Respect for our history reinforces our commitment to the preservation and enhancement of the Valley's land, wine, and community for future generations. We address the shared interests of our 330 member wineries.
Contributing to the harvest report:
Susan Boswell, Chateau Boswell
Bruce Cakebread, Cakebread Cellars
Chris Howell, Cain Vineyard and Winery
Harvest photo gallery — high-resolution images available for download
