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September 2017 WINES&VINES 15 WINE INDUSTRY NEWS N orth Coast, Calif.— M ul tipl e spark l ing wine houses in North- ern California reported the start of harvest Aug. 5-7, and several other producers of bubbles scheduled their own picks in the week that followed. After several years of early harvests, many grow- ers in California reported that 2017 was a return to normal in terms of timing and yields. The Allied Grape Growers pre- dicted California's 2017 harvest would come in at around 4.2 mil- lion tons and hold at that level through the 2019 vintage. Wine and grape brokerage The Ciatti Co. also predicted a harvest of between 4 and 4.2 million tons in its August industry report. Todd Azevedo, broker for The Ciatti Co., said premium growing regions like Napa, Sonoma, Men- docino and Lake counties had very little availability with the excep- tion of Zinfandel. "Everyone wants that premium product," he said, adding there were more op- tions on the spot market for red fruit from the Central Coast in- cluding Paso Robles, Calif., and the southern Salinas Valley. Steve Fredricks, president of Turrentine Brokerage, said avail- ability in mid-August was the low- est it's been at harvest time in many years. He told Wines & Vines there was some available Central Coast Chardonnay and Paso Ro- bles Cabernet, but, "There are not a lot of grapes without a home right now." The industry's long-running labor shortage has proved acute this year, with growers struggling to find manpower to deal with excessive vegetation and mildew from a damp spring. On the west side of Lodi, Calif., in the Mokelumne River sub-AVA, Michael David Winery of Lodi, Calif., picked Chardonnay from its Bare Ranch property on July 24. The 1.5 acres of Chardonnay were bound for sparkling wine and yielded slightly less than 10 tons measuring 16.6° Brix. On the North Coast, Rack & Riddle (R&R), the custom-crush sparkling specialist producing 1.3 million cases per year at wineries in Healdsburg and Geyserville, Calif., brought in its Chardonnay crop Aug. 10 from a North Coast appellation. On Aug. 14, R&R picked its first Pinot Noir in Carneros-Napa, followed by Pinot Noir and Char- donnay in Solano County. Subse- quently, Carneros-Sonoma Pinot Noir was expected, then Men- docino County and Alexander Val- ley Chardonnay. Penelope Gadd-Coster, execu- tive director of winemaking at R&R, said the final pick was likely to come three weeks later with Sonoma-Carneros Chardonnay. The quantity of winter rainfall has made this an interesting growing season, Gadd-Coster said, with more than average powdery mildew and vines ma- turing one or two weeks late. The mildew necessitated early leaf thinning to keep airflow going through the canopies. In Solano County, Calif., some expected a below-average harvest because of rainfall and a late start. Despite mildew, quality in all growing areas looks good, she said, with nice fruit emerging now that the weather has cooled down from an early summer heat wave. Grapes were starting to deliver balanced chemistries in mid-Au- gust, Gadd-Coster reported, with TA and pH aligning properly. It's been a year for patience, but every year brings its chal- lenges, she said. Domaine Chandon (600,000 cases) brought in its first load of Chardonnay from Clarksburg on Aug. 4, followed by Pinot Noir at its home estate in Yountville on Aug. 6. Later in the week, Carne- ros Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier came in, according to winemaking director Pauline Lhote. The fast-ripening harvest will keep sparkling winemakers on their toes, Lhote said. The pow- dery mildew has made for a chal- lenging year, but the vineyard team had stayed on top of it. "We harvest between 18° and 20° Brix…looking for bright acidity." Labor a major challenge It's not surprising that labor, too, has presented challenges. Al- though Domaine Chandon is not planning more mechanization, "If anyone is interested to work in the cellar, they should contact us," Lhote said. Ro e d e r e r E s t a t e ( 9 5 , 0 0 0 cases) in Anderson Valley planned to start harvest Aug. 15, accord- ing to vice president/winemaker Arnaud Weyrich. The first grapes in were Pinot Noir for estate spar- kling from the Philo, Calif., area. Weyrich expected about 15 tons at first, with 50 tons Aug. 17 with Pinot Noir from Boonville. These microclimates in the foggy coastal area traditionally tend to ripen the earliest. Weyrich, too, reported mil- dew problems because of the cool spring and labor-scheduling issues, which the winery deals with through early preparation and discussion with labor con- tractors. He's not yet planning to go for more mechanization but is on the lookout for new and improved equipment. The Napa Valley Grapegrowers reported the heavy winter rains were a "welcome gift from Mother Nature" that helped return the val- ley to a more "typical timeline, reminiscent of pre-drought years." The Sonoma County Wine- growers also reported a return to a normal harvest schedule although the long rainy season and mild spring "resulted in above-average vegetative growth and vigor." J. Alfred Steele with Dutton Ranch in the Green Valley AVA of Sonoma County said in a wine- growers' harvest report that rip- ening could speed up because the vines have big, healthy canopies and plenty of energy. "Right now, véraison is on everywhere and it looks to be another great vin- tage," he said. "Labor remains the biggest threat in the region this harvest season." Bret Munselle, partner in Mun- selle Vineyards in the Alexander Valley of Sonoma County de- scribed the general feeling among growers as "cautious optimism" as yields appear to be slightly above normal and of good quality. In Sonoma Valley, Taylor Serres of Serres Ranch noted challenges with mildew but added quality overall looks good. "The one con- cern looking ahead is how fast and heavy the fruit will come in." TOP STORY Market for Grapes Tight as Harvest Begins Steven Urberg, director of winemaking at Gloria Ferrer, inspects a load of Sonoma-Carneros Pinot Noir on Aug. 7 as it arrives for the first crush of 2017.