Reflections On The Harvest
A GANG-BUSTER HARVEST FOR 2023!
Here we are at the end of October and are going through one of the finest harvests in the last few years. A cooler summer and low temperatures throughout California have led to what we call longer “hang time.” The grapes have had more time to ripen and become richer and certainly more abundant. Not just here in Monterey, but all over the state the California wine world is exceptionally happy about this vintage. We are going to see some superb wines from the 2023 harvest! But here in Monterey, it's rare for us to experience bad harvests, unless it’s a major fire year such as 2020 when almost no grapes were harvested dues to smoke taint. We are blessed with such unique and outstanding environmental conditions that give us a wide variety of excellent wines.
In talking with our partners for Wine and Wandering they all express just how delighted they are with this year’s magnificent crop. Some winemakers are saying this could be the greatest vintage in well over ten years, however, we are quite blessed here in Monterey, to enjoy nature’s exquisite bounty. Bacchus is surely smiling down on Monterey! It’s almost impossible to say what the current forecast for a predicted El Nino year will bring us, but it appears that California could well see some extraordinary rain and of course, deep snowpack. This should bode well for yet another strong harvest in 2024. We are keeping our fingers crossed.
MONTEREY COUNTY – DIVERSITY EXEMPLIFIED
Carmel Wine and Wandering takes our esteemed guests for a three hour stroll through the fair streets and alleyways of Carmel-By-The-Sea, to visit three different tasting rooms each of whom represent quite different growing regions within Monterey County. As it is, the Monterey AVA (American Viticultural Area) is the largest in America, with over 40,000 acres planted to vines. Over and above that specific AVA, we have within the confines of Monterey County, another 8 different heralded AVAs for a total over 53,000 acres of grapes. Within these uniquely positioned areas, there are 350 winery operations, which is substantially more than when the first Spanish missionaries planted grapes here in the 1790’s! That said, it wasn’t until 1966 when Dick Graff planted his grapes on the stunning limestone bench near the Pinnacles for Chalone, and AL Scheid started his vineyards in 1972.
Monterey County is approximately 3,500 square miles, with over 100 miles of coastline. From the Pacific, and over the mighty Santa Lucia Highlands into the interior, there are truly extraordinary environmental shifts. And it’s these wide-ranging areas that make Monterey so uniquely pre-disposed to winemaking. Temperatures range from very hot to very cold in the span of a day, to warm and slightly cool. It’s quite possible to see a diurnal shift of 109 – 50 degrees in the Carmel Valley AVA versus 86 – 56 in the Santa Lucia Highlands AVA. In the SLH area, with its cool climate, Pinot Noir and Chardonnay rule supreme, as they are notoriously fickle and temperamental. In the Carmel valley AVA, bigger styled wines such as Cabernet Sauvignon, Malbec, Merlot etc. are happy in the hotter climes.
Monterey County produces more Pinot Noir than anywhere else in California. Yet with such a wide variety of grapes due to the unique terrains, topography, soil and weather conditions, we boast a panoply of exceptional wines. Offshore, there is the Deep Blue Canyon which descends ultimately to over 2 miles in depth. This remarkable cleft in the ocean brings up very cold water, resulting in cool weather and oftentimes fog that drift into the Salinas Valley. It’s here that we get some of the loveliest Pinot Noirs and Chardonnays to be found anywhere.
CURRENT SITUATION
As we pass the middle of October, there are still a few grapes to be picked. Normally everything would be in by now unless some vintners are leaving grapes to shrivel up and become raisins to be made into dessert wine in a few weeks. A standard harvest would all be in the fermenting vats by mid-September. And we are not the only region to experience this. Napa, Sonoma, San Luis Obispo, Santa Barbara, even Lodi in the Sierra Foothills are all experiencing late harvests due to the very wet winter, and cool Spring and Summer that California enjoyed. Veraison, which is when the grapes “bud out” was delayed, and there were some fears of mold or mildew setting in, but this never materialized, and winemakers and wine drinkers will all have something to cheer about!
THE HARD WORK IS ABOUT TO HAPPEN!
Without preaching to the choir, not many people realize the extraordinary efforts it takes to bring in wines. In a year such as this, and with a substantial amount of berries on the vines, vintners and vineyard managers go through the rows, and deliberately drop berries to increase the quality. Then, when it’s time to harvest, pickers go through at night for the most part, carefully selecting bunches that are at the perfect Brix (sugar content) level. Contingent upon the vineyard and the amount of sun each section gets, some areas will be visited later to be picked. Picking at night generally results in better sugar level. It also greatly reduces the possibility of early fermentation happening before the grapes reach the crush facilities. You pretty much know the rest! Crush, fermentation, racking, clarification, barreling, aging, bottling and then into your glass!
What makes a vineyard or winery? There are many discussions, even arguments, about the quality of wine and who is responsible. Is it the winemaker? Or the vineyard manager? Some argue that wine is made in the vineyard, and that without good or great grapes, a winemaker cannot make good wine. Others posit that it’s the winemaker’s ability to take grapes and like Merlin, manifest magic. Personally, I have always felt that it’s easy to take really good grapes and make bad wine. But it’s virtually impossible to take bad grapes and make good wine.
FROM OUR FOREIGN DESK
As an aside, in Europe, the Champagne and Burgundy regions are reporting that this will be a banner year, while sadly in Bordeaux, mildew and fluctuating weather means a less than stellar crop. And in both Italy and Spain wine grapes have been pummeled by adverse weather, and both countries are reporting considerably lower production this year. One never wishes for our viticultural friends to suffer losses, so we hope that next year brings greatness.
