Therese thinks they will be ok at Martin Ranch. Last year we pulled from them on November 7th, so if Therese thinks we’ll make it, I’ll believe her and know she realistic about late harvest dates. They still owed me two tons after the 7th last year, but the pH’s were raising so fast she asked me not to take it, so I didn’t. She’s going to get me a note this week.
Mount Eden and Ridge are warmer than my Woodside location and warmer than Martin Ranch most years. They may be ok. Yesterday afternoon I was fogged in and they both had sunshine. As foggy as it’s been, I bet Ian has Pinot Noir and Syrah from the west side for me AFTER I have Cabernet from my Morgan Hill site.
The forecast discussion I regularly rely upon seems to get it right a vast majority of the time. For the North Coast, here is what they’re saying:
LITTLE CHANGE IS EXPECTED TONIGHT WITH THE UPPER TROUGH ENTRENCHED. OVER THE DISTRICT. HAVE ADDED DRIZZLE TO THE OCEAN AND COAST…WITH THE DEEP MARINE LAYER. UPPER TROUGH REMAINS ALONG THE COAST THOUGH MID WEEK WITH A DEEP MARINE LAYER AND EXTENSIVE NIGHT/MORNING LOW CLOUDS AND FOG. TEMPS WILL CONTINUE TO REMAIN BELOW NORMAL.
MEDIUM RANGE MODELS DIVERGE BY THE END OF THE WEEK WITH THE ECMWF BUILDING A RIDGE OVER THE PACIFIC NW…AND THEN CONTINUING WITH A RIDGE ALONG THE WEST COAST ON SATURDAY AND SUNDAY. THE GFS KEEPS A
WEAK TROUGH ALONG THE COAST DURING THIS PERIOD. THE GFS WOULD BE THE COOLER MODEL. BOTH THE ECMWF AND THE GFS BOTH BRING RIDGING TO THE DISTRICT ON MONDAY FOR WARMER TEMPS. HOWEVER…ANY SIGNIFICANT
WARMING WILL BE SHORT-LIVED AS BOTH MODELS BRING A LONGWAVE TROUGH ONCE AGAIN TO THE WEST COAST…WITH THE GFS THE MORE AGGRESSIVE OF
THE MODELS. REGARDLESS OF WHICH MODEL VERIFIES…IT WILL TURN COOLER ONCE AGAIN ACROSS THE DISTRICT BY THE MIDDLE OF NEXT WEEK.
In short, a brief modest warm up, depending where you are, and then back to same all, same all . . .
That’s what I’ve been looking at too that has me calling game over. Two-three more weeks of this and I’m looking at finishing varaison around Sept 1st at the soonest.
Ever the optimist, I note that our guy is only going with the status quo through late next week. Until he says otherwise, let’s believe that the first significant North Coast warming trend of the season starts the weekend of 8/21!!!
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About the only people who don’t seem to think there is impending doom are the people who make wine.
Guess we’ve learned that you can’t worry about it 'cause you can’t control it. I’m not losing any sleep currently (except for one of my two-year olds who can’t seem to make it through a full night recently).
I’m also passively involved in cherry farming in the Central Valley. We had a great, make that fantastic, season on our hands until Mother’s Day, when a hail storm about a mile long and 5 miles wide came through and decimated the orchards in just our neighborhood. What’re you going to do? Such is life in agriculture.
We’re a long way from that sort of devastation here. Late is just late. Good news is that I should be able to catch some early-season college and pro football live for the first time in many years!!
One of our barrel salesman just said that he knows of some growers in the foggiest part of the Santa Cruz Mtns that are giving up on their Cab this year.
Just saw the first pink berries in Syrah yesterday, while doing my final mowing for the year. Funny thing is, it was the most loaded, vigorous plant in the vineyard(plant at the end of the row). That brings us up to 10 days behind- which puts harvest for both vineyards in the first week of Oct.
We are looking at high 90’s through the next 7 days.
Another year of no fires seems like such a luxury after 06 and 08.(insert knocking on wood emoticon)
Nate - Me too. Especially looking forward to 49ers and Saints on Monday night Football. We’ve got a party planned. It will also mean my birthday trip to Nola should work out fine.
Linda - I shared that with Ron C. late last week and stopped moving forward on an order with him since it looks like I’ll be over on barrels. Could have been me he was talking about.
I was in Marin County on 8/1 and visited four Pinot vineyards there. Only one had begun veraison (just barely) and the other three were further behind. This shot is from the vineyard that had just started veraison, though obviously not on any of the clusters in this particular photo:
All these guys crying in agony need to un-wad their panties. Wait and see. Then react. Jesus, it’s farming, the least exact “science” on the face of the planet (other than the psychology of women).
Meanwhile, Our Bucher fruit is 50% or so through. But in an odd twist, the vineyard from which “Maize Rose” is sourced, which is always about four weeks behind Bucher, is about 80% through. Colder site, equal size crop/clusters, etc., yet ahead of a warmer site. Go figure.
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