2020 West Coast Weather and Farming Thread

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#201 Post by **Casey Hartlip** » May 26th, 2020, 6:19 pm

So get this. Going to be 98 on Thursday, then 69 and thunderstorms on Saturday? What the hell?

#202 Post by **Paul Gordon** » May 26th, 2020, 9:53 pm

Casey Hartlip wrote: ↑May 26th, 2020, 6:19 pm So get this. Going to be 98 on Thursday, then 69 and thunderstorms on Saturday? What the hell?

Sounds like French weather

Paul

#203 Post by **Casey Hartlip** » May 29th, 2020, 7:12 am

Second pass of the disc. That inch of rain made this cut nice.

#204 Post by **Casey Hartlip** » May 29th, 2020, 5:11 pm

Chard near full bloom, Pinot around 50%. Expecting less than a quarter inch although some thunderstorms are predicted with insolated heavy downpours are possible. Let's see how lucky we are.

May 29th, 2020, 6:53 pm

My guys are past what I would consider full bloom. Already browned at the edges, on the way to fruit set. It's an exciting time of year.

Got the third fungicide application down this morning. Vineyard is filling up with leftover growth from the cover crop seeding. Will let the effects of this rain this weekend bring it on, and then dig weeds between the vines and disk/ring'n'roll again in a couple of weeks.

#206 Post by **Casey Hartlip** » May 30th, 2020, 6:04 pm

Feeling pretty lucky that we only got .02" for this storm. We ARE so spoiled in CA Paul Gordon!

May 30th, 2020, 8:37 pm

We got one brief shower overnight - that's it. Barely got anything wet.

#208 Post by **William Segui** » May 31st, 2020, 10:58 am

a few drops here in northeast Napa. didn't even get the entire patio wet.

#209 Post by **Paul Gordon** » June 1st, 2020, 8:26 pm

The book is closed on May. Started and ended warm with a mild, wet middle (3in of rain). More than once I have noted how "French" this spring has felt - more cloudy but mild days than usual.
Our average high was 66F and average low temp 47F, just a touch above our typical May temps. In Cote Rotie it was 73F/53F against historical averages of 67F/50F.
Our vines are around 10days from the start of bloom, which is the same timing as for the last four years.

Paul

#210 Post by **Casey Hartlip** » June 2nd, 2020, 9:38 am

Look away for a few minutes, then come back and you have FRUIT! Jesus that was quick!

#211 Post by **Casey Hartlip** » June 2nd, 2020, 5:36 pm

As a follow-up, Pinot just about full bloom, Gruner just past. Will walk many fields tomorrow getting ready for the next round of fungicides.

#212 Post by **Casey Hartlip** » June 3rd, 2020, 5:29 pm

Finally poked my ugly head into numerous fields today. Chard and Gruner are past bloom. As reported Pinot very near full bloom depending on exposure, canopy and soils. Holding off spray until Sunday night when we're sure bloom is about past.
Pulled the crew out of the field at 1:30 after only 7 hours as it was just too hot to be out there.

June 4th, 2020, 4:53 pm

My neighbor treated my vineyard to a beautiful disk and drag today. I'll get out there in the morning to check out the fruit set - no one wants to be out in another 95-100 degree day. Let's see if what appeared to be an exceptionally even bloom turns out to be the same type of fruit set. No idea what the % of shatter might be.

June 5th, 2020, 6:18 pm

The fruit set looks great and I would not have imagined that the forming berries would be so big! WAY past bloom, for sure.

#215 Post by **Casey Hartlip** » June 5th, 2020, 7:04 pm

Stayed home today to do some weedeating. It usually takes me 10-12 hours to shape things up. Gonna take advantage of the very cool weekend weather to get this shit done. Maybe some of y'all know our place is on the market so we're keeping things sharp. If you're interested check out Zillow and 2389 Twining Road, Ukiah, CA. Finders fee for anyone who helps.

#216 Post by **Casey Hartlip** » June 7th, 2020, 6:06 pm

Drove from Ukiah to St Helena for a resupply of olive oil from Napa Valley Olive Oil Co. Of course a reason to get off the property. I counted about 4-5 vineyards that were abandoned: 2 in Mendocino county and 2 in Alexander Valley. That was just from the road. I also saw some fields that were late on suckering. Since I haven't been in AV for many months, there were also fields that I remember as vineyards that are now removed. The cycle is beginning. Too many grapes means fields that are under performing get a hard look either from the bean counters or the owner him/herself and decides its time to make a change. I remember in 1981 or 1982 when we had our first 100 ton crop of Zinfandel at Eaglepoint. We sold 80 tons of that fruit for $180/ton for white Zin. Think that hurt?

I've seen a few of these events in 41 harvests. This one is no different. It started last year with another sizable crop and slowing sales. COVID really has just sped up the process/pain. I'm really hoping that with 2020 we are building the bottom. Try as I might, we might wind up letting 40-50 tons of fruit hang in the field. These are the times when you know who your loyal customers are. I'm keeping score (as always) and will remember when things turn back who stayed with me and who turned their back on me. Luckily my ownership has seen these cycles before and have no debt on the land.

I have a 9 acre field that we removed old Chardonnay in 2015. We have it staked and irrigation installed. Problem is what to plant. I've called some pros and they say 'Its Anderson Valley plant Pinot' and I don't know what to do. We planted 3 acres of Gruner 3 years ago and the first wines are coming out. Its too soon to know if its going to be a small blip or somethings real. I danced around with Albarino and Pinot Blanc in Anderson Valley and even more Chardonnay. Vine orders take a year, so if I want to plant in 2021 I gotta move.

OK. The ribs are about ready to take of the BBQ.

#217 Post by **Paul Gordon** » June 7th, 2020, 7:17 pm

Casey Hartlip wrote: ↑June 7th, 2020, 6:06 pm Drove from Ukiah to St Helena for a resupply of olive oil from Napa Valley Olive Oil Co. Of course a reason to get off the property. I counted about 4-5 vineyards that were abandoned: 2 in Mendocino county and 2 in Alexander Valley. That was just from the road. I also saw some fields that were late on suckering. Since I haven't been in AV for many months, there were also fields that I remember as vineyards that are now removed. The cycle is beginning. Too many grapes means fields that are under performing get a hard look either from the bean counters or the owner him/herself and decides its time to make a change. I remember in 1981 or 1982 when we had our first 100 ton crop of Zinfandel at Eaglepoint. We sold 80 tons of that fruit for $180/ton for white Zin. Think that hurt?

I've seen a few of these events in 41 harvests. This one is no different. It started last year with another sizable crop and slowing sales. COVID really has just sped up the process/pain. I'm really hoping that with 2020 we are building the bottom. Try as I might, we might wind up letting 40-50 tons of fruit hang in the field. These are the times when you know who your loyal customers are. I'm keeping score (as always) and will remember when things turn back who stayed with me and who turned their back on me. Luckily my ownership has seen these cycles before and have no debt on the land.

I have a 9 acre field that we removed old Chardonnay in 2015. We have it staked and irrigation installed. Problem is what to plant. I've called some pros and they say 'Its Anderson Valley plant Pinot' and I don't know what to do. We planted 3 acres of Gruner 3 years ago and the first wines are coming out. Its too soon to know if its going to be a small blip or somethings real. I danced around with Albarino and Pinot Blanc in Anderson Valley and even more Chardonnay. Vine orders take a year, so if I want to plant in 2021 I gotta move.

OK. The ribs are about ready to take of the BBQ.

Casey

How about Grenache Blanc - one of the few (only?) varieties considered to make better wine in CA than its native France. I like what Roussanne does at our place. You are warmer, so if we can get it ripe you should be fine.

Paul

#218 Post by **Paul Gordon** » June 7th, 2020, 7:20 pm

We saw our first flowering today. As always Grenache leads the charge. The timing is about 5 days ahead of 2017-19. Hopefully the winds die down and we get some warmer temps (mid-50s for highs the last three days).

Paul

Kim Z · #219 Post by **Kim Z** » June 7th, 2020, 7:59 pm

Well along side a 100yr pandemic and nascent civil war, I have been glad to see our vines happily reaching to the sun. Nature doesn't care much what happens with humans - one of many reasons nature is so appealing.

Paul FWIW in Avignon 2 years ago we had a phenomenal local white that was grenache blanc, along with several others I was not familiar with. It was better than viognet-based Condrieu whites from N Rhone, we thought (IMO they are an acquired taste)

Paul Gordon wrote: ↑June 7th, 2020, 7:17 pm
Casey Hartlip wrote: ↑June 7th, 2020, 6:06 pm Drove from Ukiah to St Helena for a resupply of olive oil from Napa Valley Olive Oil Co. Of course a reason to get off the property. I counted about 4-5 vineyards that were abandoned: 2 in Mendocino county and 2 in Alexander Valley. That was just from the road. I also saw some fields that were late on suckering. Since I haven't been in AV for many months, there were also fields that I remember as vineyards that are now removed. The cycle is beginning. Too many grapes means fields that are under performing get a hard look either from the bean counters or the owner him/herself and decides its time to make a change. I remember in 1981 or 1982 when we had our first 100 ton crop of Zinfandel at Eaglepoint. We sold 80 tons of that fruit for $180/ton for white Zin. Think that hurt?

I've seen a few of these events in 41 harvests. This one is no different. It started last year with another sizable crop and slowing sales. COVID really has just sped up the process/pain. I'm really hoping that with 2020 we are building the bottom. Try as I might, we might wind up letting 40-50 tons of fruit hang in the field. These are the times when you know who your loyal customers are. I'm keeping score (as always) and will remember when things turn back who stayed with me and who turned their back on me. Luckily my ownership has seen these cycles before and have no debt on the land.

I have a 9 acre field that we removed old Chardonnay in 2015. We have it staked and irrigation installed. Problem is what to plant. I've called some pros and they say 'Its Anderson Valley plant Pinot' and I don't know what to do. We planted 3 acres of Gruner 3 years ago and the first wines are coming out. Its too soon to know if its going to be a small blip or somethings real. I danced around with Albarino and Pinot Blanc in Anderson Valley and even more Chardonnay. Vine orders take a year, so if I want to plant in 2021 I gotta move.

OK. The ribs are about ready to take of the BBQ.
Casey

How about Grenache Blanc - one of the few (only?) varieties considered to make better wine in CA than its native France. I like what Roussanne does at our place. You are warmer, so if we can get it ripe you should be fine.

Paul

Edward H. Earles · June 8th, 2020, 3:46 pm

Casey--If I were you, I'd leave that field idle. Economically, things are going to get a whole lot worse before they get better. The bottoms will drop out of many markets. I'd bet that, a year from now, we might see 30% unemployment in this country. It's a time for retrenchment and belt-tightening.

#221 Post by **R M Kriete** » June 9th, 2020, 6:30 am

Edward H. Earles wrote: ↑June 8th, 2020, 3:46 pm Casey--If I were you, I'd leave that field idle. Economically, things are going to get a whole lot worse before they get better. The bottoms will drop out of many markets. I'd bet that, a year from now, we might see 30% unemployment in this country. It's a time for retrenchment and belt-tightening.

Maybe not?

Per BBC: The US labour market improved unexpectedly in May raising hopes that economic damage tied to the pandemic will be less harmful than feared.

https://www.bbc.com/news/business-52938993

#222 Post by **Paul Gordon** » June 9th, 2020, 10:53 pm

R M Kriete wrote: ↑June 9th, 2020, 6:30 am
Edward H. Earles wrote: ↑June 8th, 2020, 3:46 pm Casey--If I were you, I'd leave that field idle. Economically, things are going to get a whole lot worse before they get better. The bottoms will drop out of many markets. I'd bet that, a year from now, we might see 30% unemployment in this country. It's a time for retrenchment and belt-tightening.
Maybe not?

Per BBC: The US labour market improved unexpectedly in May raising hopes that economic damage tied to the pandemic will be less harmful than feared.

https://www.bbc.com/news/business-52938993

And that 2021 planting will take fours years to yield close to a standard tonnage. That 2024 (white grape) harvest will take another year to yield bottled wine on the market. A lot can happen between here and mid-2025. A long term view is the only approach that makes sense for vineyards. I had the sentiment that I was planting for my children.

Paul

June 10th, 2020, 8:33 am

Wise words, Paul.

#224 Post by **Wes Barton** » June 10th, 2020, 12:27 pm

Similarly, like I said above, there's been massive disruption, plus bottle-necking in the supply chain, but total wine sales are up. Business models will have to adapt for many to survive. It's obvious a lot of last year's grape buyers won't be able to but this year for various reasons. It looks like there will be a lot of unharvested (and discounted unattributable) grapes, but there will also be demand for the wines they would make. Smart people with the money and business plans would be wise to be looking to pick up contracts. We've seen some really good relationships start this way.

#225 Post by **Casey Hartlip** » June 10th, 2020, 6:39 pm

Pretty decent shot from above the ranch.

Now a shitty pic of Chard nearing pea sized berries.
Weather looks great the next 10 days. Looked at lots of fields today to start making a plan for irrigation scheduling. Most fields still growing strong with berries sizing.

#226 Post by **Casey Hartlip** » June 13th, 2020, 5:57 pm

Not quite vineyard related but my first cherry tomato is close!

#227 Post by **Casey Hartlip** » June 16th, 2020, 11:15 am

First dusting of the season last night, only in Chard. Clusters are about 10 days from closure. Vines still growing hard. Starting to water some of the shallow soil areas now. Looking around the county I'm happy to say we're looking pretty sharp. Had two winemaker visits yesterday with another on Thursday. No sign of any buyers sniffing around.

June 17th, 2020, 6:47 am

We did a second round of weed digging between the vines this weekend. Monday was a fungicide spray. Tuesday was the first irrigation of the growing season.

The is a lot of fruit out there! I saw very little shatter, but need to take a closer look at each row.

#229 Post by **Casey Hartlip** » June 19th, 2020, 6:17 pm

Crap! Keep taking quick shitty pics! Old vines Chard not far from closure. No water in this field yet.

#230 Post by **Casey Hartlip** » June 21st, 2020, 5:22 pm

Buckle up kids gonna be a very hot week. Ya'll don't do too much leafing or you'll get fried like chicken! Doing our next pass of fungicides but leaving the 2 lbs of sulfur per acre out of the mix with the heat. Will probably cut the hand crews back to 6 or 7 hours days as we're not really behind and worker safety regs are so strict. Almost time to do crop projections.

#231 Post by **Casey Hartlip** » June 22nd, 2020, 3:31 pm

An example of how things look after the final wires are lifted. Kind of subtle on a phone screen.

#232 Post by **Paul Gordon** » June 23rd, 2020, 4:07 pm

It got warm yesterday. Our first day over 90 this year - it was 92F for a high.
We are at the very end of flowering. Prefer not to see 90+ temps during flowering but only an odd Grenache plant likely to see a little shatter. The weather for this weekend and next week looks to be benign.

Paul

#233 Post by **Casey Hartlip** » June 24th, 2020, 8:03 pm

Pretty disappointed that there are so few contributors to this thread. Don't know if there are some lurkers who don't care or others that don't see a monetary payout for posting. When I jumped in many years ago I seemed to see an opening that many wine geeks were wanting to hear about the daily life of the farming end of wine. This ain't growing corn folks, it's a highly specialized crop that has been going on for centuries.
Sometimes I feel I'm posting to Merrill and Paul and nobody else. If that's the case I guess I can live with that. I do this as a type of therapy/sharing of the farmers life. Not that my life is difficult or hard, because it's not. I'm not curing cancer or creating a program that will change the world, I'm just working the land and helping create a product that brings joy to people who share my passion.

Vince L. · #234 Post by **Vince L.** » June 24th, 2020, 8:21 pm

I'm not a farmer but just recently found this thread and is fascinated by it.

June 24th, 2020, 8:23 pm

I get it, Casey. But I so often hear that people like to just read and feel they have nothing to contribute.

EMH fruit is very close to bunch closure. Looks like a very healthy crop.

I bottled my 2018s today and they are super-nice. Numbers great - VA, according to my associate winemaker, is astoundingly low. Numbers on the 2019 look great. Will do a barrel by barrel tasting in the morning when my palate is fresh - for the 2019.

#236 Post by **Bdklein** » June 24th, 2020, 11:29 pm

I enjoy it too!

#237 Post by **timmy roos** » June 25th, 2020, 4:41 am

I am mostly a lurker and seldom post. We have grapes in lake county(we grow sauv blanc and chard)but I am not involved in the everyday operation. This is my favorite thread. Especially in recent heated times where it seems every other topic becomes a pseudo political showdown. I don’t know if there is anything more that I could add

Kim Z · #238 Post by **Kim Z** » June 25th, 2020, 6:08 am

I read this thread regularly. We have a small vineyard and have little to add...rather read what the big guys do!

Thanks to Casey, Merrill, Paul and all that contribute!

#239 Post by **R M Kriete** » June 25th, 2020, 7:53 am

Casey Hartlip wrote: ↑June 24th, 2020, 8:03 pm Pretty disappointed that there are so few contributors to this thread. Don't know if there are some lurkers who don't care or others that don't see a monetary payout for posting. When I jumped in many years ago I seemed to see an opening that many wine geeks were wanting to hear about the daily life of the farming end of wine. This ain't growing corn folks, it's a highly specialized crop that has been going on for centuries.
Sometimes I feel I'm posting to Merrill and Paul and nobody else. If that's the case I guess I can live with that. I do this as a type of therapy/sharing of the farmers life. Not that my life is difficult or hard, because it's not. I'm not curing cancer or creating a program that will change the world, I'm just working the land and helping create a product that brings joy to people who share my passion.

I check this thread nearly every day. Don't have much to add to the discussion being in Florida, but I enjoy all of the info you and the other growers post. And agree with TR that it is refreshing to read a thread not involving politics or Covid.

Sean Devaney · #240 Post by **Sean Devaney** » June 25th, 2020, 7:59 am

I really do appreciate this thread and check for updates every time I visit WB. I ask questions when I have them but rarely have anything that I can add on the farming side.

Peter Petersen · #241 Post by **Peter Petersen** » June 25th, 2020, 8:55 am

This is the one and only thread that I look at every day. Not being in the business I don't feel there is much I can contribute (I've also almost given up on posting in Wine Talk).
Please keep up the great work and I do think it'd be nice if even more people working in vineyards and wineries would post. There are so many that are keen on talking about their wines when they are discussed. I'm sure most of us would love to see them contribute here as well.

#242 Post by **BobMilton** » June 25th, 2020, 9:42 am

Casey Hartlip wrote: ↑June 24th, 2020, 8:03 pm Pretty disappointed that there are so few contributors to this thread. Don't know if there are some lurkers who don't care or others that don't see a monetary payout for posting. When I jumped in many years ago I seemed to see an opening that many wine geeks were wanting to hear about the daily life of the farming end of wine. This ain't growing corn folks, it's a highly specialized crop that has been going on for centuries.
Sometimes I feel I'm posting to Merrill and Paul and nobody else. If that's the case I guess I can live with that. I do this as a type of therapy/sharing of the farmers life. Not that my life is difficult or hard, because it's not. I'm not curing cancer or creating a program that will change the world, I'm just working the land and helping create a product that brings joy to people who share my passion.

I read this thread most every day. Learn some interesting things. My only experience with growing grapes is a single Syrah vine in my backyard (the Santa Monica mountains above Malibu). Wrong soil (mostly clay), cool climate (about 3 miles to the ocean), and it gets watered frequently since it is just in the backyard with other plants and grasses. So nothing to contribute, but still find this quite an interesting topic. So keep posting!

#243 Post by **J. Migone** » June 25th, 2020, 10:19 am

Love this thread. I'm guessing there are a lot of other people like me that are not in the industry, but are fascinated by what you all do. Please keep it coming.

#244 Post by **bruced** » June 25th, 2020, 10:42 am

I've been lurking since 2019. First post.
Adding my 2 cents that I read this thread regularly. I find it therapeutic. I enjoy the posts and pictures. Thank you so much for your updates.

Edward H. Earles · June 25th, 2020, 3:07 pm

I live in KY and raise fruits and vegetables, but no grapes. If you want to see pictures of my stuff I'll be glad to share them.....here's a photo from last August....

#246 Post by **P Intag** » June 25th, 2020, 5:27 pm

I'm just a normal Joe wine drinker and I love following this thread. Wish there were more regular grape farmers posting actually. Keep 'em coming Casey!

#247 Post by **Casey Hartlip** » June 25th, 2020, 8:02 pm

I'm not looking for a pat on the back....I'm looking for more content! Edward I love that pic. Are you a commercial farmer? I'd love to see more pics of your daily operations.

We are about done with our go-round of fungicides. My two tractor drivers are warriors, 10+ hours shifts in the night. They do have enclosed cabs with Bluetooth. One guy listens to music while the other likes podcasts. Nevertheless it's now 6 insane nights with you out there keeping track of what row you just came out of. It's so easy to get confused.
Wineries just now starting to ask about crop estimates. Hoping to get away for some family fun soon but who knows with covid. The remodel we've been doing on the managers house is finally coming to an end. I've been helping out daily to keep the momentum and costs down. 70 year old house that we took down to the studs. New wiring, plumbing, sheetrock, floors, kitchen et all. Spending money like crazy to rehab an old house. Cheers folks

Rob Purcell · #248 Post by **Rob Purcell** » June 25th, 2020, 11:01 pm

We have a small place in the valley, so love to hear what others are doing around us.

Edward H. Earles · June 26th, 2020, 3:49 am

I'm not a commercial farmer, just a home gardener. I raise mostly heirloom varieties.

Edward H. Earles · June 26th, 2020, 4:00 am

We try to produce as much of our food as we can. Here are some photos of dishes my wife makes from our own produce:

Tomato tart:

Butternut squash and arugula pesto pizza on gluten-free chebe crust:

Another tomato tart, w/ gluten-free-almond-meal-and-parmesan crust:

Pickled Peaches:

Apple tart: