A California Winery Blog

What can we expect from the 2008 vintage?  An entire year of weather is reflected in the wine that is produced in a particular harvest.  Certain weather patterns produce specific varietal character and expression, and in most cases affect the amount of fruit that comes off of the vine and into the winery. 

2008 will be a low fruit yielding year, just like 2007 was.  Extremely low rainfall produced small berries.  What is lacking in quantity can be made up in quality.  Low yields mean less fruit, but vines put more effort into the hanging berries making for concentrated fruit (”more flavor per berry”).  According to Assistant Winemaker Ryan Ralston, “When you have a vine putting all of its power into less fruit it’s going to really concentrate those flavors.”

If you have had your radar on Santa Barbara County in 2008 you recall that we were hit hard with frost damage in April (temperatures dipped below freezing on April 20).  So what actually happens in the vineyard when there is frost damage?  A recent article in the Pacific Coast Business Times explains, “the freeze slowed vines’ bloom, which in turn meant that fruit hadn’t set when spring winds and May heat waves arrived.”  Some growers were hit harder than others.  This season’s weather also led to uneven ripening, requiring more hand sorting through grapes to weed out berries that were not fully ripened. 

Thicker skinned red grapes will continue to be harvested through November.

http://pacbiztimes.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=388&Itemid=1

Joanie Hudson, Assistant Tasting Room Manager, Santa Barbara Winery