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128 Wines&Vines January 2015 vintage 2014 CaliFornia ALAmeDA CounTy Livermore Valley Chris Chandler executive director Livermore Valley Winegrowers Association grape volume was down this year overall, but the fruit quality was very high. the previous two vintages were large, which usually contrib- utes to slightly lower yields in fol- lowing vintages. Drought had the largest impact on grape volume, but due to a mild summer, it wasn't as bad as expected. For some Livermore Valley growers, 2014 was the earliest harvest on record. Weather: an abundance of sun- shine; cool nights with little to no fog. this was a very good growing season despite the shortage of water. Pests/diseases: increase in wild animal visits due to drought. rodent population was elevated and created damage to the root systems and the crop itself. suPPly/demand: yields were lower than 2012 and 2013, but quality was amazing. Challenges: Labor is always a challenge in vineyards due to tim- ing compared to other crops. LAKe AnD menDoCino CounTieS Glenn mcGourty Winegrowing and plant science advisor uC Cooperative extension 2014 was a most unusual year. it was the driest winter on record in mendocino and Lake counties, with only 2 inches of rain in December 2013 and January 2014 instead of the normal 20 inches. Fortunately, several well-timed storms in Febru- ary and march helped get enough rainfall to fill the vineyards' soil pro- file and have sufficient surface runoff to partially fill our many small ponds and reservoirs. Bud break was al- most three weeks early. spring, for- tunately, was warm with no frost events. Winemakers believe that the 2014 vintage will be a good one, as the fruit came in ripe, clean and con- centrated. early indications are that an "early, fast and furious" har- vest. Throughout California, the harvest came in about two to three weeks earlier than normal. The other challenges that con- tinued to pop up almost every- where in North America were insufficient labor and not enough wine tanks. Wines & Vines reaches out to growers, extension agents and others for unbiased, objective re- ports on the harvest conditions of each region. We appreciate the assistance of those who took our voluntary survey. If your region was not included and you'd like to contribute next year, contact us at edit@wine- sandvines.com. T E C H N O L O G Y A C H I E V E M E N T P E R F O R M A N C E I N N O VA T I O N W W W . T A P I G R O U P . C O M Q U A L I T Y & I TA L I A N D E S I G N C L O S U R E S This report and similar harvest reports for the 2013 and 2012 vintages can be found in the digital editions of Wines & Vines available at winesandvines.com/digitaledition.