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22 WINES&VINES September 2015 WINE INDUSTRY NEWS C learlake Oaks, Calif.—By the time the Rocky Fire east of Clear Lake was con- tained by the California Depart- m e n t o f Fo r e s t r y a n d F i r e Protection (CalFire), the blaze had scorched 69,438 acres in Lake, Yolo and Colusa counties, result- ing in the temporary closure of three wineries. Authorities evacuated Six Sigma Ranch Vineyard and Winery, a 5,000-case producer of table wines in Lower Lake, Calif., after the blaze sparked July 29. Wine- maker Matt Hughes told Wines & Vines that no one was at the winery when evacuation was ordered, and he doesn't expect any long-term effects to the vineyard or the crop. The Rocky Fire burned 200 acres of pasture on Six Sigma's 4,300-acre ranch, but the flames were about three miles from the owners' 50 vineyard acres. CalFire sent five dozers to create a fire- break on the property, stopping the blaze from marching farther into the ranch. Debra Sommerfield, president of the Lake County Winegrape Commission, said that winds shifted briefly July 31, causing smoke to linger above much of Lake County before clearing out. However, "Smoke-related impacts to the area's wine grapes are es- timated to be minimal to none," she said. "Most of the vineyards are west of the fire, which is a good thing," Tracey Hawkins, co-owner of Hawk and Horse Vineyards in Lower Lake, Calif., told Wines & Vines on July 31. "Wind and smoke seem to have been travel- ling eastward, away from wineries and vineyards." Then, a pre-dawn surge Aug. 3 resulted in the Rocky Fire ex- panding in all directions. Mean- while, the fire also resumed a dramatic run for the west. Daniel Berlant, chief of public informa- tion for Cal Fire, said that while ocean breezes would normally push the blaze east, fires of such magnitude often create their own weather systems. Cal Fire ordered the closure of Highway 20 from New Long Valley Road to Highway 53, cutting off access to 1,400-case Cache Creek Vineyards and 1,000-case Noggle Vineyards and Winery, both in Clearlake Oaks. "Even at night this fire is very, very active," Berlant said as the blaze expanded east toward Cali- fornia state Highway 16, where crews burned swaths of grass to slow the fire enough that air tank- ers would have time to drop water from above. Bob Hendrickson, tasting room manager at 25,000-case Brassfield Estate Winery in Clearlake Oaks, told Wines & Vines, "We've been getting a little smoke in the after- noon. But the predominant winds from the west blow all the smoke and ash away." "I don't think (the fire) will af- fect us for any reason whatso- ever…unless it blocks out the sun," he joked. In nearby Napa County, most of the Cabernet Sauvignon vine- yards were still undergoing vérai- son as the Rocky Fire burned to the north and the 8,051-acre Wragg Fire came under control to the southeast. Both fires un- leashed huge plumes of smoke. Just as emergency crews gained the upper hand on the mammoth Fires Scorch 100,000 Acres Near Wine Country At press time, the Rocky Fire had burned 69,438 acres, while the Jeru- salem fire burned 24,000 acres and the Wragg Fire burned 8,051 acres. Napa Wragg Fire Rocky Fire Jerusalem Fire Sonoma Healdsburg Calistoga San Francisco