Harvest Report 2006 Sonoma County

2006 SONOMA COUNTY VINTAGE REPORT
Wild and Challenging Weather Settles Down to Produce Top-Quality Harvest

Santa Rosa, CA: On November 9, 2006, Sonoma County Vintners hosted the first annual Sonoma County Vintage Report, a comprehensive assessment of the vintage throughout the region’s diverse AVAs and varietals. Winemakers who combined represent 11 out of the county’s 13 American Viticultural Areas convened to discuss the roller-coaster vintage that was 2006. Asked to sum up the vintage in a sentence, Paul Bergna, executive vice president of vineyard operations at Sebastiani Vineyards & Winery, said it was a “year of contrasts,” while Kerry Damskey, winemaker for Charles Creek Vineyard and Dutcher Crossing Winery, noted that it was a “year of peaks, valleys, and peaks.” Tandem Winery & DeLoach Vineyards winemaker Greg LaFollette echoed that sentiment, stating that he saw more variation in vineyards and varietals than he’d ever seen before in Sonoma County.

Although challenging, the vintage was hailed as ultimately successful, with grapes coming into the wineries at full physiological ripeness and with balanced acids and flavors. Many panelists said that the flavors, especially for Zinfandel, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Merlot, reminded them of the highly regarded 2004 vintage, although weather conditions were quite different between the two years. All of the panelists have high hopes for the 2006 vintage, with Francois Cordesse, winemaker for Matanzas Creek Winery, commenting that “Mother Nature was extremely generous to us this year.”

Because of the variable weather, all panelists agreed that success in 2006 was largely dependent on close attention to the vineyard, with Hanna Winery president Christine Hanna noting, “You got what you paid for. This was the year of the vineyard manager, and you really had to be on top of your vineyard.” 

The year started off with heavy and long winter and spring rains, impeding vineyard workers’ ability to do necessary vine maintenance such as suckering and delaying budbreak for one to three weeks past normal. Once the sunny weather began, the abundant water in the ground led to vigorous vegetative growth. Growers needed to hedge the vines to curb this growth and also open up the canopy with significant leafing to give the clusters sufficient sun exposure.

Throughout the vintage, dropping fruit was a necessity, initially to reduce crop load to ensure ripening and concentrated flavors, then later on as bunch rot became an issue. Damskey commented that “this was a vintage that there was always fruit between the rows. Most years I make three passes through the vineyard; this year I needed five.”

Late July brought a significant heat wave, with several days soaring above 100º Fahrenheit. Because of the late start to the season, the berries were still hard and there was no significant damage with the exception of Petite Sirah, which is prone to sunburn. The vines did shut down during this period to preserve themselves, leading to a later than average harvest. LaFollette said that some 100-year-old Zinfandel vines dropped their entire crop in order to “live and fight another day.”

A relatively cool late summer and early fall slowed ripening and all but guaranteed a late start to the harvest. Grapes for sparkling wine began coming in at the end of August, with the harvest for still-wine grapes not in full swing until mid-September. Cool weather throughout caused a drawn-out harvest, which was significantly impacted by rain at the beginning of October.

Botrytis, already present in the grapes due to the spring rain, developed rapidly, along with bunch rot. Thin-skinned Chardonnay was particularly affected, and 12-15% of the crop was ultimately lost. In Carneros, Bergna said it was “rare to find a vineyard that’s not affected,” while LaFollette estimated that his overall Chardonnay yields in the Sonoma Coast and Russian River were down by as much as one-third. Pinot Noir was also affected, though to a much lesser degree and primarily in Carneros and Sonoma Mountain, and several of the panelists saw botrytis on Cabernet Sauvignon for the first time in memory.

Growers were monitoring their vineyards daily at this point, dropping fruit whenever bunch rot appeared, and with the return of the sun harvest got back on track. What did come into the wineries was considered outstanding quality – so good that Cordesse said that Matanzas Creek did not need to use a sorting table, which they normally employ. Throughout the county and across varietals, grapes tended to be picked at slightly lower sugars and higher acidity than average, which bodes well for the wines’ structure and ageability.

Overall yield for the 2006 harvest is estimated to be 185,000-190,000 tons, well off last year’s record-breaking 231,000 tons but still the second largest harvest in Sonoma County’s history.

Summary across major varietals & AVAs

Sauvignon Blanc: 2006 should be an exceptional year for Sauvignon Blanc throughout Sonoma County. Sauvignon Blanc is one of the few premier grapes that can ripen a larger crop load successfully, and the fall sun combined with cooler than average temperatures led to complex flavors while preserving the racy, brisk acidity that is the grape’s hallmark. Both warm climate areas (Knights Valley, Dry Creek Valley) and cool climate regions (Russian River Valley) reported harvesting spectacular fruit.

Chardonnay: Bunch rot and botrytis were the issues for Chardonnay. Early-season rain caused large berries, leading to tight clusters that retained late-season moisture and enabled bunch rot. Carneros was hard hit, with yields down about 20 percent. Selective picking was essential, and the fruit that did come in was “extremely balanced, with nice acids and good citrus and apple flavors,” said Bergna. Russian River and Sonoma Coast were also affected by botrytis, but not as badly. In the cooler areas Chardonnay was slow to ripen, leading Damskey to note that in general, warmer regions of the county fared best in 2006.

Pinot Noir: “Pinot Noir this year was all about the vineyard”, stated LaFollette. Pre-bloom leafing opened up the canopy for good air circulation, and also reduced vigor to create smaller, more concentrated berries. Overall yield was good, with some vineyards in Russian River & Green Valley reporting twice the crop that they had in the very light 2005 Pinot harvest. The true Sonoma Coast was an exception, with the lower temperatures keeping yields down to average. LaFollette noticed high pH and high total acidity throughout the county, especially on the Sonoma Coast, and believes these wines show real ageability.

Zinfandel: Dry Creek Valley, the home of Zinfandel, was “the most normal AVA this year” according to Damskey. The cooler, longer growing season alleviated Zinfandel’s propensity to raisin and ripen unevenly, leading to fully ripe, jammy berries but with lively acidity and structure. Hanna reported “lush, structured fruit” from their mountaintop Sonoma Valley vineyard.

Syrah: Panelists reported seeing botrytis on Syrah, which they’d not seen before, though this was more of an isolated curiosity than anything affecting quality. Bunch rot was not an issue because of the grape’s loose clusters, and the Syrah’s flavors benefited from a long, cool hangtime. Harvest was exceptionally late, but like Zinfandel the fruit came in at full physiological ripeness. Both warm & cool-climate regions report harvesting grapes with good balance, structure, and flavors, with Damskey calling the vintage “just a wonderful year for Syrah.”

Merlot: It’s unfortunate that Merlot is sluggish in the marketplace, because by all accounts 2006 was a spectacular vintage for this varietal. Cordesse was particularly enthusiastic about Bennett Valley Merlot, saying that Merlot prefers a little moisture in the soil and the clayish mixture in Bennett Valley is ‘like a sponge.” The long growing season allowed the grapes to become fully ripe without any vegetal characteristics, with succulent plum and black cherry flavors. In Alexander Valley, Hanna noted that the tannins were structured yet round, and fully mature. The wine is rich and opulent, but should age extremely well. In Russian River, LaFollette called the Merlot more Bordeaux-like, with ample acidity and pleasant herbal undertones.

Cabernet Sauvignon: Bergna reported that ideal conditions in Sonoma Valley at harvest allowed Cabernet to stay on the vine until the grapes achieved full phenolic maturity. Structure is the defining feature of this year’s Sonoma Valley Cabernets, which likely will take a few years to come around. Alexander Valley, by contrast, is fruit-driven in 2006, according to Hanna, and will be lush and accessible early on.
Sonoma County Vintners is the leading voice of Sonoma County wine, dedicated to increasing awareness and improving the quality image of its wines to consumers, media, and trade locally and globally. With almost 65,000 vineyard acres planted among the county’s 13 American Viticultural Areas (AVAs), Sonoma County is considered one of the world’s premier winegrowing regions, producing an unparalleled range of varietals and wine styles. SCV has promoted this diversity and quality since 1944, and currently represents more than 150 member wineries.

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