Wild Fires in California: their effects on the grapes!

Although we have had a few days where some ash has fallen, mostly upper Smith and Hook Vineyards, there have not been a lot of days with strong odors of smoke.

I think we are fortunate in that our strong prevailing winds push much of the smoke to the south of us. I have discussed the issue with Paul Clifton & a few of the wine makers that have been out to see “their” Pinot this week, and the consensus is……..it’s just too early to tell. Until we have fruit ripe enough to taste, it will be purely conjecture. We will definitely keep you posted on any developments.

The heat wave of late June, specifically June 20th, took a great toll on our 2009 avocado crop. The bloom period was just finishing, and a modest amount of fruit set appeared to be occurring when we got hit with two days of extreme heat. On the 20^th temperatures stayed in the triple digits for nearly 6 hours (very unusual for our area) with the top recorded temperature being 104.5. There is some sunburn on this year’s crop (on exposed fruit), but not near as bad as what other growers experienced in warmer growing regions.

The same heat-wave has also affected our Merlot set; looks as if we will be down by at least 50% of a normal crop, if not more. Syrah is also looking much lighter than normal,

with the other varietals looking pretty good, although showing lots of “hens & chicks” again this year as the beginning of our bloom period was on the cooler side.

Santé
Andy Mitchell
Hahn Estates Winery