California 2017: Regional reports

With the 2017 vintage in California being hailed as excellent despite a summer heat wave and the wildfires in the north of the state, here are the regional reports from each of the major AVAs from north to south.

North Coast:

Mendocino: An earlier harvest than 2016 but only just, the winter rains fortified the vineyards in advance of the summer heatwave.

The August heat meant the white varieties had to be gathered in extremely early but the later ripening reds enjoyed cooler weather. Quality and yields for the Pinot Noir, Cabernet Sauvignon and Zinfandel were very good but Chardonnay may be a little scarcer.

Napa Valley: As with Mendocino, Napa growers delighted at the winter rains and mild spring. A freak hailstorm in June caused isolated damage here and there but all progressed well until the heat spiked over the Labor Day weekend which brought on a rush to harvest.

Yields will be slightly smaller than usual due to fruit being discarded due to shriveling and raisining as well as damage from the wildfires.

Sonoma County: Record-breaking winter rainfall to the begin the season and a mild spring with a normal bud break meant a relatively stress-free start to the year but after the heat wave some of the grapes left to hang in the cooler September weather were then hit by rains which required canopy thinning. Despite being in the path of the fires as Mendocino and Napa were, the only real losses were reported to come from losses due to the summer heat.

The vintage has been compared, in some quarters, to the 2003, 2013 and 2014, with excellent colour, pronounced flavours and generally high quality across all varieties.

Lake County: Great optimism here for the quality of the wines after much needed rains in an area hit by wildfires in 2015 and 2016.

Despite the summer heat, the harvest was slightly later than usual, going on well into October. However, unlike other regions there was no problem with the fruit shriveling and the crop was generous in size as well.

Central Coast:

Monterey: A fairly typical, temperate season on the coast with plenty of winter rains a mild spring leading to a good flowering.

The early summer was warm and meant that the grapes for sparkling wines were being harvested in early August.

As with the rest of the state, the August heat spike led to a rush to harvest certain varieties but the panic subsided somewhat in September. The final crush should be around 170,000 tons with very high quality Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot expected.

Paso Robles: A wet and mild winter and spring brought on an attack of downy mildew and cool weather during flowering caused ‘shatter’ in some varieties but created looser bunches for greater air and light penetration.

Heat damage was a problem and the loss of potential fruit during flowering has caused volumes to slide but the quality of the fruit is reportedly excellent with good intensity and higher acids than normal.

San Luis Obispo: With the harvest starting on 21 August, the season was slightly later than last year – mostly because of heavy rainfall at the start of the season which delayed bud break.

More rains raised the pressure of mildew and botrytis but also led to vigorous growth and a good balance between crop and canopy.

The Labor Day heat spike was less drastic in SLO than elsewhere in California and the vines coped well.

Chardonnay yields are slightly higher than average and those of Pinot a little lower.

Santa Barbara: The story in Santa Barbara largely follows those of neighbouring regions but in August and September the heat was paired with very high humidity, which raised the risk of fungal diseases although no major damage was reported.

Harvest began in late August with quality above average with small berries of good colour. Clusters were small than usual so the yields for Pinot Noir and Chardonnay can be as much as 50% down on the average.

Santa Clara: Santa Clara was perhaps the wettest of California’s regions this year, experiencing rainfall three times the average.

As it did elsewhere, it resulted in very vigorous growth and lots of additional shoot thinning and leaf pulling was required.

The Cabernet and Petite Sirah are expected to be excellent.

Santa Cruz Mountains: Winter rainfall was as much as 100 inches on the ocean side leading to a similar situation as in Santa Clara with thinning and leaf pulling required due to exceptionally vigorous growth.

The summer heat affected areas in different ways depending on microclimates and farming practices with some rushing to harvest while others could sit back. Crops were high and the quality good, especially the Cabernet.

Livermore Valley: Heavy rains early in the year flushed the soils and meant there was plenty of water during some extreme spikes, such as over the Labor Day weekend.

The high temperatures stalled fruit development a little but the harvest was underway by late August as usual. Yields are average although the Chardonnay is down as much as 20% on 2016.

Inland Valleys:

Madera: Over 55 inches of rain and then the heaviest hailstorm in 20 years struck the region in 2017 and yet, final yields are up marginally.

The crop was big and healthy with many clusters being loose but with small, thick-skinned berries. Red Bordeaux varieties look very promising.

Lodi: “A very strange year,” say vintners, the winter was incredibly wet, so much so that there was flooding in areas which delayed pruning a little.

With mildew pressure, canopy management was essential but the summer heat wave then led to some dehydration.

Maturation was swift in all varieties so the harvest was high tempo but, as in other areas, the cooler tail end of September allowed growers to leave some of the later ripening varieties to hang on the vine a little longer.

Yields are down 10%-20% but the overall quality is strong with good acidity for the whites and intensity and concentration in the reds.

Sierra Foothills:

Amador County: The summer heat wave meant the harvest started a week earlier than usual but cooler weather from mid-September onwards led to a slowing of the pace.

The rains bought mildew and the heat caused a raisining of grapes in some vineyards and this has led to a slightly smaller than usual harvest, however the Zinfandel, Barbera, Syrah, Grenache and Mourvèdre all fared well.

Southern California:

San Diego County: A cool, wet start to the year saw bud break return to a more ‘normal’ March date and the harvest for white varieties began in mid-July.

The heat spikes pushed the red harvest forward at times before cooler weather breaks led to a pause in proceedings.

Yields are up around 25% on 2016 with good to excellent fruit quality.

Temecula Valley: Much needed rains brought the crop back to a higher level this year, as much as 20%-25% above the 2015 and 2016 vintages.

Bud break happened in March as it did in San Diego and the harvest for those grapes destined for sparkling wines likewise began in July.

The heat wave drove up sugar levels and stunted physiological ripening in some varieties but those that rode out the heat best were the Rhône, Italian and Portuguese grapes. Quality is judged to be ‘solid’ overall.