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18 W i n e s & V i n e s J U n e 2 0 1 4 M A Y N E W S J U N E N E W S pies look very healthy, and we are cautiously optimistic as we go about the vineyard work, moving on from suckering to leaf and later shoot removal." Ruel's comments were similar to those of other growers in the North Coast and came after Brian Clements, vice president and partner of Novato, Calif.- based Turrentine Brokerage, first told Wines & Vines in late April that he sees the potential for a large crop in 2014. "The poten- tial for an above-normal harvest is there in certain parts of Cali- fornia, but we have a long way to go and nothing's for sure in wine and agriculture." Brad Petersen, Sonoma Wine- growers chairman and vineyard manager for Silver Oak Cellars and Twomey Cellars, said the potential for an average to above-average crop is there, but that's if everything stays perfect until harvest. "Crop size isn't determined until it hits the win- ery," he said. By mid-May Petersen said the frost risk had abated, but water remained a serious concern. "There are some growers in this county who are still short on water," he said. "There could be some difficult decisions ahead if this warm weather continues." Petersen added that some vine- yards in Sonoma County suf- fered cold damage in early December, when temperatures across much of the North Coast fell below 10°F, and that could impair bud fruitfulness and shoot growth, limiting the yield of those vines. A short bulk wine market in 2012 meant wineries were eager to accept any extra yields from that year's large harvest, especially after it followed the cool and wet vintages of 2010 and 2011. The 2013 wine grape harvest then set a new record at 4.23 million tons. Some grapes from the 2013 grow- ing season also stayed on the vine, as wineries cited quality concerns and growers suspected a lack of tank capacity. Some wineries are expanding fermentation capacity in prepara- tion for the 2014 vintage. "This year has been crazy with tanks," reported Davide Criveller, enolo- gist and part owner of Criveller Group, a tank supplier. He said the company is investing nearly $1 million to build an additional 8,000-square-foot building and add more fabrication equipment to keep up with demand for win- ery tanks from its Healdsburg, Calif., location. He said Criveller is supplying 160 tanks ranging in size from 1,000 gallons to 12,000 gallons to more than 25 clients, most of them in California. It's far too early to predict with any level of certainty that 2014 will continue the trend of record harvests, yet the very potential of a large crop is noteworthy. "We are still in bloom in many blocks," Ruel noted, "and there are many factors that could affect yield between now and harvest." —Andrew Adams (Continued from page 17.) Wine Grape Tons Crushed Tons Crushed Per Year, 2010-13 Source: California Department of Food and Agriculture