Enthusiasm about 2009 harvest in CA
- Thread starter SFJoe
- Start date
In agreement with the cheery analysis of weather, but with a decidedly darker take on the situation (in Napa) is an erstwhile winemaker-turned-barrel salesman in a post made elsewhere:
Sounds good, until you realize that about 15% to 25% or or more is
never going to be picked, and will be allowed to rot. The bankruptcies
of vineyards is going to be one of the untold stories of 2009.
The economy of high end wines has been hammered. Grapes which used to
sell for $3500 a ton are lucky to find buyers for $1200 a ton, or
less. And even then, their grape deals to sell sell 40-60 tons have
been pared back to maybe 10 tons if they are lucky, and the rest of
the fruit rots on the vine.
There are some actually some small to medium sized wineries which have
cancelled all their grape contracts and will make NO wine this year,
because of unsold inventories. Even large wineries which used to buy
1,000 oak barrels a year are buying zero.
This can't be called the worse year since 1934, because Repeal after
Prohibition at the bottom of the Depression at least brought some
stimulus.
Not so this year, the worst year in history. Expect about 500
wineries of all sizes to close their doors by this time next year.
Those which survive, owned by chain winery groups, will be behind
seven months in paying growers and suppliers, and lawsuits will be
useless, because you can't sue people in bankruptcy or who don't exist
anymore.
Cheerio!
Mark Lipton
(p.s. Now's the time to make that "El Armadillo" Late Harvest Durif of your dreams, fellas [and grrrlz])
Hank Beckmeyer
Hank Beckmeyer
yes, 2009 does have the potential to make some very nice wines.
And yes, many wineries and growers will probably not be here this time next year. We've been offered outrageous deals, like 120 tons of Cab for free (you pay picking costs!). The small winery next door is backed up 2 vintages and is selling its estate fruit off. The large winery across the street is cutting back production to 10% of normal, and then is only paying half of last year's market prices for fruit. A nearby organic grower is selling 1st crop zin at 2nd crop prices, and will throw in 10 tons of syrah at no cost.
Its pretty crazy.
And yes, many wineries and growers will probably not be here this time next year. We've been offered outrageous deals, like 120 tons of Cab for free (you pay picking costs!). The small winery next door is backed up 2 vintages and is selling its estate fruit off. The large winery across the street is cutting back production to 10% of normal, and then is only paying half of last year's market prices for fruit. A nearby organic grower is selling 1st crop zin at 2nd crop prices, and will throw in 10 tons of syrah at no cost.
Its pretty crazy.
I've certainly thought about it as the juice is out there and cheap and I could pay all my wine press type friends for some good press and cut them in on the $4 million proceeds from the sale of my brand, but I'd be a little concerned about Dressner hunting me down and bludgeoning me with a bottle of Poulsard if I did that, so I think I'll stand pat.
Claude Kolm
Claude Kolm
It's pretty sloshy out here right now. And what's all this questioning rain out here in October? Doesn't anyone remember the 1962 World Series? (For those with short memories: http://www.sierrasun.com/article/20081006/NEWS/810069987/1040/RSS )
Steve Edmunds
Steve Edmunds
Geez, Claude, the '62 Series! If you lived in Iowa do you think you'd remember it? I assumed Mr. Lipton was pulling legs with that question.
Florida Jim
Florida Jim
FYI, there are two Coturris; Phil the farmer; Tony the winemaker.
Phil runs Enterprise Vineyard Management and does have over 600 acres that he farms organically and, in most cases, bio-dynamically.
Tony . . . doesn't.
I have sorted somewhere between 30 and 40 tons of grapes this year already with more incoming. I have seen quantities be less than expected and, in most cases, quality be higher than expected. Of course, what gets done with the fruit is the rub.
Wind and rain all day - estimates for Sonoma County are from 2 to 6 inches of rain before its done (probably sometime early Wed. morning). Hopefully, the wind will stay with us for a few days after, when good weather is expected.
Lots of fruit still hanging out there.
And some of it isn't ripe, yet.
Best, Jim
Phil runs Enterprise Vineyard Management and does have over 600 acres that he farms organically and, in most cases, bio-dynamically.
Tony . . . doesn't.
I have sorted somewhere between 30 and 40 tons of grapes this year already with more incoming. I have seen quantities be less than expected and, in most cases, quality be higher than expected. Of course, what gets done with the fruit is the rub.
Wind and rain all day - estimates for Sonoma County are from 2 to 6 inches of rain before its done (probably sometime early Wed. morning). Hopefully, the wind will stay with us for a few days after, when good weather is expected.
Lots of fruit still hanging out there.
And some of it isn't ripe, yet.
Best, Jim
Y'know, you guys had me seriously second guessing my memories of sunny, dry October days in the Bay Area, so I just went and checked out the USGS data:
Precipitation totals (historical average) month by month for Sonoma, CA:
Jan - 6.52 in
Feb - 6.10
Mar - 4.54
Apr - 1.55
May - 0.79
Jun - 0.18
Jul - 0.05
Aug - 0.12
Sep - 0.33
Oct - 1.68
Nov - 4.22
Dec - 4.46
So, no, it's not the driest month of the year, but it's also not one of the 5 months commonly associated with the "monsoon season" either. I'm pretty sure that if I had a week-by-week breakdown, we'd see that the majority of precipitation occurs in the last 1-2 weeks of October.
Mark Lipton
Levi Dalton
Levi Dalton
Graphs, we want graphs!
Often there is a single rain event of note in october. Sometimes it's much more significant in Sonoma and Mendocino than in the Bay Area. Sometimes it will sweep though over night. The timing can be a factor.
This one was much stronger and wetter than usual.
I'm pretty sure this was badly timed for all the pot farmers too.
This one was much stronger and wetter than usual.
I'm pretty sure this was badly timed for all the pot farmers too.
SteveTimko
Steve Timko
I believe they're serious:
Tablas Creek Vineyard
weather data for today (so far) from the Tablas weather station: minimum temperature 54 degrees. maximum temperature 60.1 degrees. maximum wind speed 39 mph. rainfall 7.09 inches.
I like their mourvedre, too.
Tablas Creek Vineyard
weather data for today (so far) from the Tablas weather station: minimum temperature 54 degrees. maximum temperature 60.1 degrees. maximum wind speed 39 mph. rainfall 7.09 inches.
I like their mourvedre, too.
Damn, I bet you're right. An extra blow to the local economy of the North Coast.
One of the good things about the usual rainfall pattern in CA is the way it segregates the mushroom hunters from the pot growers. In a typical season the dope harvest is in before the mushroom hunters hit the woods. But with a couple of inches of rain, there could be an early porcini season. Could be pesky.
Lou Kessler
Lou Kessler
Just got home this evening after a flight that consumed over nine hours with the delays and stopping in Salt Lake to take on more fuel so we could stay in a holding pattern for an extended period of time. I'll check around in the next few days and find out what the rains did to the harvest. It appears to have rained heavily. Not a gulf of Alaska storm as per usual but tropical that actually hit Japan a few days ago.
Thanks, Jim,
I had some email from lurkers to that effect, but have been running around too much to post. Thanks for clarifying.
I had a vision of the Stay Puft monster of Brett marching down Rt. 29, but am relieved to know that Bill Murray can put his feet back up on the coffee table.
Thanks, Jim,
I had some email from lurkers to that effect, but have been running around too much to post. Thanks for clarifying.
I had a vision of the Stay Puft monster of Brett marching down Rt. 29, but am relieved to know that Bill Murray can put his feet back up on the coffee table.
Levi Dalton
Levi Dalton
Oh yes, the same storm?
That was a big one in Tokyo. Trains weren't running for hours. Massive delays. People weren't getting to work, schools.