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16 WINES&VINES November 2015 WINE INDUSTRY NEWS of normal," said PJ Alviso, a mem- ber of the Napa Valley Grape- growers and director of estate viticulture for Duckhorn Wine Co. At Trefethen Vineyards, which farms 600 acres of vines, CEO Jon Ruel said, "Although the yields will vary across regions and varieties, I haven't heard anyone say they had a larger than usual crop this year. For us, Chardonnay and Pinot Noir were down about 20% compared to target yields. Ries- ling and Malbec were just fine. Cabernet Franc was the lightest: almost 30% off target. But thank- fully our Cabernet Sauvignon was only about 10% low." Ruel added, "Talk around the Napa Valley is that the Cabernet overall may end up as much as 30% lighter than last year." The reasons for the light crop include dry springtime soils and variable temperatures during bloom. Winemaker Matthew Crafton at Chateau Montelena Winery in Calistoga, Calif., said, "Last year was our biggest on record, so I don't think it's a great one for comparison. We saw a fair amount of variability in vineyard yields this year based on vineyard loca- tion, variety and rootstock. I would say a good range is 20% to 30% off average. Everything tastes great; I just wish we had more." Early estimates project that the total Sonoma County grape crop could be 30%-35% smaller than last year's harvest of more than 255,600 tons, according to So- noma County Winegrowers. "One of our longtime grape- growers likes to describe farming as a dance with Mother Nature, and she is always leading," says Karissa Kruse, president of the Sonoma County Winegrowers. Balletto Vineyards & Winery in Sonoma County farms 650 acres of vineyards spread throughout the Russian River Valley and west- ern Sonoma County. According to a report from the California As- sociation of Winegrape Growers, Balletto said yields were off for several key varieties: Chardonnay down 10%-15%, Sauvignon Blanc down 20%-40%, Pinot Gris down 20%-25%, and Pinot Noir down 25%-30% in some areas (and down as much as 50% in western Sonoma County). Also from CAWG, Mike Boer, who owns vineyards at Stipp Ranch in Ukiah, Calif., and is an integrated pest management con- sultant for vineyards in four North Coast counties with Ag Unlimited, reported, "The quality looks great throughout the North Coast, but early indications are the crop will be light across the board for all varieties." He said the timing of bloom was a factor in crop reductions in Napa and Sonoma counties, but to a lesser extent in Lake and Men- docino counties. "I wouldn't be surprised if we see the final North Coast crop about 17% to 25% off from average this year," Boer said. Paul Ardzrooni of Ardzrooni Vineyard Management, who farms a large percentage of vineyard acreage in the Anderson Valley, said, "The unfavorably cool weather in May forced a longer duration of bloom time, resulting in significant shatter and poor fruit set in most vineyards in An- derson Valley. Our earliest harvest on record began the first week of August with two heat spikes to follow, condensing the major por- tion of harvest into a short five weeks. We harvested 66% and were down 34% of the five-year average, overall. Kristy Charles of Foursight Wines added, "Some growers dou- ble-pruned for the drought (to set AVERAGE DECREASE IN WINE GRAPE YIELDS Region Amount down Mendocino County 30%-35% Monterey County 20%-40% Napa Valley 15%-30% Paso Robles 30%-50% San Joaquin Valley 0%-10% Sonoma County 10%-35% CALIFORNIA TOTAL 5%-15%