Quality and Quantity are the Themes for the 2005 Harvest Vintners managing exceptional fruit and crop yields
Monterey County, CA - November 7, 2005 - Monterey County vintners are still busy in the vineyards as the harvest season is once again continuing into November. Many vintners expect that harvest will not conclude until mid-November.
The long hangtime of grapes in Monterey County is one of the many differentiating factors of this influential wine region. Bud-break is typically two weeks earlier than other regions and harvest extends two weeks later than most areas. The extra month on the vine produces a fruit forward characteristic that has made Monterey famous for their grapes, which are coveted by other wine regions.
Local vintners were pleased to comment on the 2005 harvest:
Ventana Vineyards
According to Doug Meador, wine grower at Ventana Vineyards, the white grape varietals (Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, Gewurztraminer, Riesling and Chenin Blanc) are excellent! The huge crop potential required large green-dropping for crop size management. The resulting superb wine quality was the reward for the extra effort and expense.
The red grape varietals (Syrah, Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Sangiovese, and Grenache) also show the results of our attention to detail in wine grape growing. Again, substantial early thinning of fruit load is resulting in gorgeous wine from the fermentors.
Overall, the farming season weather has been very good. An early-season mildew attack required a strong defense and correction. The fall ripening season has been superb allowing full ripening with no botrytis pressures at all. Ventana is delighted with the excellent quality and quantity.
Scheid Vineyards
Kurt Gollnick, COO of Scheid Vineyards, one of the largest vineyard operations in Monterey County farming over 5000 acres, commented, “We had an extremely mild growing season, and as a result, the vines did not undergo stress. Happy vines produce larger crops.” Mr. Gollnick continued, “ We opened the Scheid winery and received our first grapes on September 2nd. The winery became fully operational during our Grand Opening on October 7th. This is a wonderful development not only for Scheid Vineyards, but for Monterey County as a whole. We’re pleased to report that the winery is being fully utilized and the preliminary quality coming from the state of the art fermentors is exceeding expectations. The efficiency is phenomenal!”
J. Lohr Vineyards & Wines
Marking J. Lohr’s first crop of the coveted Pinot Noir grape, J. Lohr Arroyo Seco (Monterey County) vineyard manager Agapito Vazquez declares “color, flavor and pH all excellent” for the debut 96-ton harvest, and primed for fermentation in a combination of half-ton and one-and-a-half-ton bins and a lone twenty-ton stainless steel tank, necessary for developing world-class Pinot Noir. Elsewhere in J. Lohr’s Arroyo Seco estate vineyards, Chardonnay grape harvesting began mid-September from Dijon clones 4 and 5, known for their temperate sugars and acidity. And it’s the Valdiguié grape that’s already showing fantastic colors, but will be harvested last from these vineyards, when sugars aspire to 24° Brix. Not to be left out, Riesling is showing golden juice with concentrated flavors.
As ripening continues, Jeff Meier, vice president of winemaking, predicts greater-than-average yields and an intense vintage—minus the heat storms of the last two!
Joullian Vineyards
According to Ridge Watson, winemaker and general manager of Joullian Vineyards, harvest began about 2 weeks later than normal in Carmel Valley for the white varietals, but the reds only seem about 7-10 late. This is most likely due to larger canopies feeding the clusters. Harvest is expected to continue into mid-November.
Cluster counts were about normal, but heavier cluster weights are increasing tonnage up to 20% in many varieties, both red and white. Color has been excellent in the reds, although all the Bordeaux varieties appear to have slightly thicker, more tannic skins in 2005. This bodes well for complexity and aging potential.
Paraiso Vineyards
Paraiso is a rugged, mountainous 400 acre estate – along with its neighbors Pisoni and Mer Soleil, it anchors the southern end of Monterey’s Santa Lucia Highlands appellation. Owner / grower Rich Smith has farmed the property for thirty-plus years for his artisan Paraiso brand; Paraiso grapes are also in
high-demand by other vintners for their own labels. “As with most other Central Coast vineyards, we were surprised by the fairly heavy crop loads – happily, aggressive early dropping of fruit and canopy management has made for some wonderful sugar /acid balances in the Pinot Noir fruit arriving at
the crush pad. I’m very enthusiastic about the eventual ’05 vintage – early indications point to truly sensational 2005 “SLH” Pinots…”
Around Monterey County
Throughout Monterey County, excellent fruit and an outstanding vintage are being touted. A few comments from around the County include:
“We started harvest in mid-September with Sauvignon Blanc and expect to be picking fruit for another few weeks,” commented Scott Storm, vineyard manager of Lockwood Vineyards. “To put this into perspective, in 2005 we finished off our harvest the first week of October.” Mr. Storm continues, “Fortunately, we never received the poor weather conditions that can pose challenges with late harvest. Virtually no rainfall to date and no extremes in hot or cold weather have worked in our favor. The result is that we’ve received the positives of a long hangtime.”
Monterey County is also home to the San Bernabe Vineyard. Encompassing almost 20 square miles and covering a wide range of soils and microclimates, San Bernabe is the world's most diverse single vineyard property. "Fantastic yields and quality. The whites have stellar flavor profiles and the reds are coming in with phenomenal fruit forward flavors," said Bill Petrovic, Vice President Vineyard Operations, San Bernabe Vineyards.
About MCVGA
The Monterey County Vintners & Growers Association (MCVGA) brings together the talents and resources of members, partners and our community in order to promote and support our leadership in the art, the science and the business of wine. Founded in 1974, MCVGA is a non-profit organization representing over 75 vintners and growers in Monterey County. MCVGA can be reached by calling 831-375-9400 or visiting online at www.montereywines.org.
