Issue link: http://winesandvines.uberflip.com/i/918844
64 WINES&VINES January 2018 VINTAGE 2017 solidation of grower operations continued. Growers were looking for good yields and/or lower costs at the same or better fruit quality. Growers replanted old/diseased vines, including some old-vine Zins. Some new vineyards were also planted. Interest in walnuts and almonds or other crops was abating. The Lodi Winegrape Com- mission and Lodi District Grape Growers were very active in edu- cation and regulatory sectors to keep growers aware and informed, along with providing needed input to policymakers and implementers. SAN LUIS OBISPO COUNTY Jason Haas Partner and general manager, Tablas Creek Vineyard winery Chairman, Paso Robles Wine Country Alliance Harvest 2017 was, for Rhone- variety producers at least, both plentiful and concentrated in Paso Robles. The good rainfall the previous winter meant that our cane length and canopies were significantly higher than re- cent years, and this combination allowed the vines to ripen even the generous crop sizes (up 20% vs. 2016) in good time and with plenty of intensity Overall, it was a warm vintage. Bud break was not as early as in recent years, thanks to the cooler soil temperatures from the ample winter rainfall. The first half of summer was moderate, with a cool May extending into the first half of June. After mid-June, it var- ied between warm and hot, with a major heat spike in early July. It cooled off in early August before another major heat spike (nine days above 102° F) in late August and early September, which domi- nated the beginning of harvest and meant the early ripening grapes had to come off the vine in a hurry. Temperatures moderated the rest of harvest, and we finished a touch early, in late October. Disease and pest pressure were modest this year, although the massive canopies made mildew somewhat more of an issue than it usually is here in Paso Robles— nothing too bad, though. High yields among Rhône varieties meant lots of people were looking for homes for extra grapes at har- vest time. If we had wanted more fruit, we could have found it at a good price. Our Biodynamic flock of sheep, alpacas and donkeys did a great job of keeping the cover crops down and the vineyard well fer- tilized this year. The vines were exceptionally healthy, until they got zapped by the late-August heat spike. 877.250.8435 | contact@agcode.com| agcode.com PLANRECORDPRODUCE THE MOST COMPREHENSIVE VINEYARDMANAGEMENT SOLUTION IN THE INDUSTRY Utilizing AgCode's AM3 Timecard Funtionality, available on all your Apple iOS devices, data collection from pesticide to labor mangement has never been easier! COME SEE US AT Unified Booth 219 A vineyard laborer harvests fruit from a J. Lohr vineyard in the Central Coast. GEORGE ROSE, CALIFORNIA WINE INSTITUTE