Global Warming didn't visit here this year

For the most part, we have been on a run of warm vintages since the 1998 vintage here in the Northern Willamette Valley. People forgot, this really is a temperate climate and you just can't go planting vineyards at 1000 feet and not expect to get stung.

At this point, the Pinot Noir vineyard at 1000 feet is in for an interesting ride. They can only hope that we get an Indian Summer with a couple of warm weeks in the middle of October. The beginning of October looks wet. Early rain makes for some hard choices for other Pinot growers as well. Do you pick before the rain or wait it out.

I suppose it all depends on what kind of flavors and numbers you are getting out of your vineyard. The minute I stepped food on Lenné back in April of 2000, I felt it would be a warm site. History has proved me correct and a week ago, the numbers were in line with where we would normally pick. But flavor wise, only one block of younger vines was ready to pick. But by Thursday of last week, panic picks were happening all over at maturity levels far less than those at Lenné. A couple inches of rain at this time of year can play all kinds of havoc. Botrytis, the noble rot,  can take a hold of a vineyard, fine if you are making a late harvest dessert wine, not so fine with Pinot Noir. As vines absorb water, the now softened berries split further aiding the botrytis problem.

We only picked one block and decided to wait out the rain. An advantage we have is that our vineyard drys out very quickly because of the constant wind and severity of the slope and it's exposure to the west.  Most growers have no choice but to wait out the rain as this year's cool summer hasn't produced the kind of ripeness they are looking for. Luckily, our sugar levels are there, we are just waiting for the kind of flavors that make great wine as opposed to good wine.

It is an interesting vintage to be sure, reminding me what is so unique about the Northern Willamette Valley in American viticulture. There is no other place I would rather grow and make wine, even with a couple inches of rain on the ground and grapes on the vine.

Guess we will have to wait until next year for global warming to force us to all start planting Syrah.