Smaller Than Normal Harvest…I’m Hearing
This Story in the Mercury News concerning Livermore Valley confirms what I’ve been hearing from growers across Sonoma County. Namely, that while quality of the 2008 harvest looks very good across many varieties, the quantity is down. In some cases, it’s way down.
One winery who buys from a number of vineyards across the county told me that it didn’t matter what vineyard he bought from, he was getting less grapes. In some vineyards where he normally has gotten 3.5 tons per acre, he’s seeing about 1.5 tons per acre.
This reduction in quantity in the vineyards will lower the 2008 production for many wineries and many of them will find this a happy circumstances. Growers are likely to see prices go higher, making many of them happy too.
I know a winery that, recognizing they would be making more this vintage than they they could sell, decided to sell a dozen or more acres of Napa Cabernet crop. Decision made yesterday. One phone call, asking price $7000 a ton. No argument. Done deal. Regrets they didn’t ask for eight.
Yeah, I’d say the crop is a little light.
Morton:
$7000 a ton? Wow! It’s nice to be able to put “Napa” on the bottle, isn’t it?
Over at Tin Cross Vineyards we definitely hit a little on the lower side this year; mostly thanks to a number of weather-related factors that affected all of Sonoma. But, we’re still happy with the turn out. Our team did a great job with this year’s obstacles.
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