Temperate Growing Season Produces Excellent Quality Despite Rain in October
HEALDSBURG, CA, November 18, 2009 —The
vintners and growers of Dry Creek Valley experienced a long, temperate
growing season, punctuated by two rainstorms in mid-October, and an
extended harvest. “The 2009 harvest started out like any other year,
except a little later than normal,” commented Greg Chambers, president
of the Winegrowers of Dry Creek Valley (WDCV) and owner of Kachina
Vineyards. “This provided longer hang time for the fruit and allowed
the acids and sugars to develop. The hiccup was the October 13 storm
that produced close to 6” of rain in some areas of the valley. With
most varieties picked before the moisture, the grape that was most
affected was the small amount of Cabernet remaining on the vines.
Sugars went back into the vines and disease became a worry for many
growers and winemakers. This had to be managed and harvest literally
stopped for several days. All said, this harvest will produce excellent
wines with good balance and flavors.”
Long-time Dry Creek Valley grape grower Ray Teldeschi concurs: “This
was a nice cool, slow growing season that gave a gorgeous acid/pH
balance to the grapes. The tail end of the Cabernet that was out when
it rained was already ripe, so the fruit held up well. This is going to
be a good vintage if grapes were picked on time. Mother Nature does 99
percent of the work, and we do the rest.”
Favorable Spring Rains, Good Bloom, Set and Extended Harvest
“The good spring rain made all the difference this year,”
said Dane Peterson, another veteran Dry Creek Valley grape grower. “We
had very favorable rains in February and March,” agreed Duff Bevill,
past president of the WDCV and owner of Bevill Vineyard Management,
LLC. Between February 11 and March 5, Healdsburg had a total of 14” of
rain. “The timing allowed growers to delay irrigation until late June
or early July, almost a month later than normal,” he explained. Total
rainfall for the season was approximately 31”, about 80 percent of
normal.
“We had a good bloom in May and decent set in the latter part of June,”
Bevill continued. “The lack of heat spikes, and nice progressive slow
ripening, allowed sugars to be more in line with mature fruit flavors
at lower Brix levels.” The 2009 harvest was the longest Bevill has
experienced in his more than 35 years growing grapes in the valley. “We
picked for almost 10 weeks,” he stated. “We started with grapes for
sparkling wine on August 13 and ended on October 27.”
Dry Creek Valley Zinfandel Shines in 2009
“Zinfandel is an alternate bearer,” explained Peterson.
“This means that one year the crop is heavy and the next it is light.
In 2009, the crop was heavier, about 110 percent of average.”
Adam Sbragia, winemaker at Sbragia Family Vineyards is very excited
about the Zinfandel this year. “2009 is a spectacular vintage,” he
said. “Last year, Zinfandel was negatively affected by the frost, but
this year Zin ripened well. There were not too many raisins and the
grapes ripened in progression, with blocks being picked in stages
according to ripeness.”
The Sbragia’s first picked Zinfandel on October 4 from a Rockpile
Vineyard where they contract grapes. The berries were very small and
intense due to the stressed vines. “Flavors are deep cassis, almost
cocoa,” he said. Down the hill at the winery’s La Promessa Vineyard,
they picked Zinfandel grapes a week later. “These grapes gave riper
flavors and intensity, showing rhubarb and ripe Bing cherry
characteristics. The Zinfandel grapes had great tannin and color—the
soft, subtle, velvety tannin that defines food friendly wines.”
Margaret Davenport, winemaker at Passalacqua, is also pleased with the
Dry Creek Zinfandel this year. “We buy grapes from Duff Bevill’s
Heirloom Vineyard on the valley floor and another hillside vineyard on
the northwest side of the valley. “Zinfandel needs hang time, and the
color in this year’s crop is wonderful with jammy, raspberry fruit,”
said Davenport. Harvest dates were later than normal. “In 2008, we
picked the valley floor vineyard on September 8, this year we picked on
September 29. There was a four-week difference on the hillside
vineyard. This vintage we garnered the best grapes ever from these
vineyards.”
Dry Creek Valley Cabernet Mostly Picked before the October Rain
“All the white grapes and 85-90 percent of all the fruit was
picked before the rain,” said Duff Bevill. “What was left after the
rain was a small percentage of Cabernet.”
“Cabernet was ripe at lower sugar levels this year,” said Margaret
Davenport. “We grow Cabernet on a steep hillside on the edge of the
border with Russian River. It always ripens late and has gone through
rain before.” Since the weather cleared to sunshine after the rain, the
grapes were allowed to ripen further and were picked on October 27, 10
days later than the prior year.
Adam Sbragia also picked their Cabernet after the rain. “Cabernet was
the last fruit we brought in at the end of October,” he said. “The wine
is bursting with bright cranberry fruit and is going to barrel.”
Sbragia explained that Cabernet is a thick-skinned grape with a
wax-like coating, so the rain just slides off. “If the grapes were
grown correctly with proper thinning so the bunches were not touching
and the canopy was open, the rain did not damage the grapes.”
Other Varieties also Benefited from the Temperate Season
The Sauvignon Blanc crop was about average with good balance
between acid and sugars due to the moderate season. Matt Norelli,
winemaker at Preston at Dry Creek, harvested his Sauvignon Blanc about
a week later than normal. “This year the grapefruit, lemon and citrus
qualities are showing a bit more than the flinty, steely mineral
characters.”
Margaret Davenport picked the Passalacqua Chardonnay about three weeks
later than in 2008. The hillside vineyard is in the cooler, southern
end of Dry Creek Valley off West Side Road. “As juice it showed very
pure varietal aromas and flavors of green apple, honeysuckle and
peach,” she said. “When it becomes wine, the more tropical fruit
characters—passion fruit, guava and papaya—begin to manifest. There is
so much fruit this year.”
Merlot and the Rhone varieties such as Syrah also showed a lot of
fruit. At Preston, the Syrah came in around mid- to late September,
which is about normal. “The plum, blackberry Syrah fruit is more
predominant than the meaty, leather qualities this year,” said Norelli.
“The overall consensus is that 2009 was an excellent vintage, and we
look forward to tasting the wines,” said WDCV president Greg Chambers.
