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September 2015 WINES&VINES 19 WINE INDUSTRY NEWS a 275,000-case producer of spar- kling and still wines located just a few miles north of the 3.9-acre vineyard on the Silverado Trail. Ludovic Dervin, winemaker at Mumm Napa, said an early bud break was responsible for moving up the harvest schedule, which normally would not have started for another week. (The same vine- yard was harvested July 30 in 2014 and Aug. 1 in 2013.) The Pinot Noir harvested July 22 came in between 19° and 20° Brix. And while Dervin sees great potential in the 2015 vintage, he added, "Unlike the last three vintages, this year's crop is more of a 'diamond in the rough,' requiring more carv- ing out and polishing in the vine- yards to express full potential." A warm February prompted vines to wake up from dormancy in spite of fairly dry soils, said Dervin, who cited low winter rain- falls that arrived on a concen- trated schedule. "Unlike the previous vintages of 2013 and 2014, the soils were dry when the vines started their growing season, leading to a more difficult start, with inconsistent shoot growth elongation," Dervin told Wines & Vines. "Bloom was long and led to more variability in crop size and maturation levels, requiring some green cluster thinning." Harvest began in Sonoma County's Russian River Valley on July 29, one of the earliest dates on record. "Bud break was early due to warm weather in February and March, but May average tem- perature was actually colder than January," noted John Balletto of Balletto Vineyards and Winery in Santa Rosa, Calif. "As a result flowering was de- layed, and some shatter resulted, lowering yield potential relative to the past three excellent har- vests. Still véraison was early and harvest will be one to two weeks ahead of 2014 in many vineyards and varieties. Cool nights and morning fog have slowed ripening and are allowing nice flavor development." In California's Central Coast, the 2015 vintage was expected to come earlier and be a bit lighter than the previous vintages. "We are coming off three big harvests in a row, and while this year's crop appears to be smaller than the past couple years. It is still what I would consider to be in the 'nor- mal' range—a bit surprising con- sidering the prolonged drought," said David Potter, winemaker and owner of 2,500-case Municipal Winemakers in Santa Maria, Calif. Those in the Paso Robles, Calif., received a surprising—and historic —soaking from heavy rainfall in mid-July. The rain came from remnants of a hurricane off the coast of Mexico and southern California. Writing in the Tablas Creek Vineyard blog, Jason Haas noted the storm ironically hit while the winery was hosting a vineyard seminar on dry farming. Haas noted the storm dumped 2.6 inches of rain at the winery and 3.55 inches on the city of Paso Robles—more than the area has "This year's crop is more of a 'diamond in the rough.'" —Ludovic Dervin, Mumm Napa winemaker Simplify and accelerate barrel cleaning without compromising cleaning effectiveness with the new TankJet M60 barrel cleaner. • It's mobile, so it is quick and easy to position right next to the barrel, insert into the bung hole, clean and move to the next barrel • Powerful, fast cleaning at low flow rates prevents toast removal – clean multiple barrels in minutes • Non-lubricated air motor ensures speed and cycle times are relatively constant even when liquid pressure changes • Compatible with a variety of pressure washers and pumps INTRODUCING THE TANKJET ® M60 MOBILE BARREL CLEANER: EASIER, FASTER & BETTER CLEANING FREE TRIAL OR ON-SITE DEMO CALL 1.800.95.SPRAY TO SPEAK WITH YOUR LOCAL REP OR VISIT TANKJET.COM TankJet M60 barrel cleaner – effective cleaning of barrels up to 5' (1.5 m) in dia. A member of Ridge Vineyards' picking crew carries Zinfandel at East Bench Vineyard near Healdsburg, Calif. —continues on page 20