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Vineyard Update 6-18-2013- Full Speed Ahead!

2013-06-18T18:37:00Z

Lovely warm weather, with long days full of sunshine, has been the norm lately on the north coast of California. The vines are loving it!

It is amazing to see how quickly the vines have been growing this year, and we are a couple of weeks earlier than an ‘average’ vintage. Shoot elongation has slowed or growers have started to hedge, and the vines are shifting focus to berry development. Although cluster counts are high, and clusters are long and branched, set was not great in many vineyards particularly in Bordeaux varieties, and clusters tend to look loose. Berry size looks like it could be large, based on the development we have already seen and the high seed counts.

We are entering the lag phase of berry growth. The lag phase is a period of slowed berry development that follows the rapid period of growth after berry set. The rapid growth after set is characterized by cellular division, and is a key determinant in the final size of the berries. At lag phase, the berries are about half of their final weight, so it is a good time to do your crop estimation by counting and weighing clusters in each block. (See my previous post on crop estimation). Lag phase ends at veraison, when the second phase of rapid berry growth begins. This phase is characterized by cellular expansion, when berries fill with water and solutes.

Lag phase is also a good time to do the first pass of yield adjustment. Removing fruit from weak vines, weak shoots, and areas of congested fruit is a good idea. There are all types of protocols, such as removing all clusters from a shoot less than 18” in length, allowing 1 cluster for shoots between 18-24”, and allowing 2 cluster for longer shoots. Another option would be to take the total number of clusters down to a certain number of clusters per shoot or vine. Thinning early allows the vines to focus on the remaining fruit, and on root and shoot development, which is particularly important for weak vines. Early thinning of clumped areas helps because it is more difficult, and dangerous in terms of rot development, to thin once the grapes are soft and juicy. Stay tuned for an upcoming post dedicated to cluster thinning.

This is also the time to adjust the amount of sunlight on the clusters if it hasn’t been done already. Getting the clusters acclimated to sun exposure early will protect them during heat waves later in the season. But be careful not to over-expose the grapes. The weather has been trending hot and dry this year, and canopies are less developed due to drought conditions and a condensed growth period that led to many vineyards getting suckered ‘late’ in terms of shoot elongation. Minimal leafing is recommended, only lower leaves and interior leaves from congested areas. Most canopy work should focus on the removal of lateral growth, and even that is limited this year due to the lower vigor. Leaving a leaf layer to protect the grapes is a good idea this year. You can always remove it later if we get into a cold spell, but you can’t put it back on if we have a heat wave.

Although early irrigation was essential in many vineyards to get sufficient vegetative growth, it is a good idea to impose a water deficit in the early phase of berry development through lag phase if possible. This will limit berry size for higher quality winegrapes.

Vineyards are looking good, with a nice balance of moderate but not excessive vegetative growth and a potential for an average or slightly above average crop in most locations. Let’s hope this weather stays nice and warm, and that we don’t have any extended heat waves. That would make me, and the vines, very happy!

Vineyard Update 5-15-2013 Keeping Up With the Vines!

2013-05-15T17:59:00Z

Record-breaking hot weather this spring has rapidly advanced grapevine maturation. Bloom arrived a couple weeks earlier than average, and a few weeks earlier than the last few cooler, late vintages. By now, most of the Napa Valley is blooming, with the later mountain Cabernet sites just starting to take off.

This condensed period of growth is a concern for vineyards that have not established enough shoot length prior to bloom. Judicious early season irrigation has paid off in building canopies in a record-breaking dry spring. Some fertilization has helped; I chose to fertigate my vines early with organic fertilizers, and some new, developmental blocks with organic fertilizers plus an application of a more concentrated synthetic fertilizer.

Cordon vines are showing more uniformity of shoot length this year, while cane pruned vines have a higher abundance of short shoots. In all blocks, but especially in the cane-pruned blocks, it has been helpful to sucker as early as possible. Anything (early suckering, fertilizers, early irrigation) to help achieve the shoot length and canopy growth has helped this year! Good luck finding labor though, as the labor shortage continues, driving up labor prices and making it hard to fill out labor needs.

The demand for quick and early suckering has been challenged by windy conditions that have required early shoot positioning, pulling scarce labor resources away from suckering, especially in windy areas and in varieties such as Petit Verdot that are prone to breakage. Some damage has been seen already from this dry, windy year. But most importantly, let’s hope that the few early fires we had are not an indication of many more to come.

The shoot length and canopy development is even more of a concern this year due to the potential for a lot of grapes out there! In most vineyards, clusters are plentiful and often large and branched. As we are blooming, the vines are already committing valuable resources into this extensive reproductive growth, and pulling resources away from canopy development. This is essentially the opposite challenge from what we’ve had in 2010 and 2011, with wet springs causing excessive vigor and lower fruit production.

Every season brings its own unique set of challenges, and this one will do the same. However, so far, if growers are on top of it, the stage can be set for a good vintage. Ideally, we will have a good set (let’s keep our fingers crossed for continual good weather), and with the imposition of a timely and careful water deficit in the first phase of berry growth, we will produce lots of small berries, better for concentrated wines. This will help us protect this highly scarce resource this year; a few deep early season irrigations should hold most vineyard for a while as long as we don’t have any heat waves. Growers should work on maintaining canopies as best they can without overirrigating, and then judicious thinning can achieve vine balance appropriate for canopy development.

Weather has been perfect for the development of powdery mildew, so make sure to keep on top of it in your vineyard!

We have plenty of time for ripening if the weather stays normal, as we are currently ahead of the phenological curve. Given the less developed canopies leaving fruit exposed and the current indication for continued warm weather, I would recommend minimal leaf and lateral removal in most blocks, at least until we know more. Let’s keep these grapes protected. Better to have a good set and too much fruit that can be removed by thinning than lose fruit at set or through sunburn or other issues.

Let’s hope the weather stays warm, but not too hot, and breezy but not too windy! But then…what would we have to complain about?

Vineyard Update 1-20-2013- Winter Work

2013-01-20T18:04:00Z

After a wet December, the dry weather we have been experiencing this past few weeks has allowed us to get a lot of pruning done in Napa! The deluge in December hopefully released most of the canker disease, such as Eutypa, spores, and the dry weather would reduce the incidence of infection. Since it’ still January and there may still be high Eutypa spore counts, it’s a good idea to paint pruning wounds anyway. A new sealant is available called Vitiseal that may have longer activity than B-lock.

With cordon-trained vines, which are more susceptible to Eutypa and other canker diseases, it may be beneficial to pre-prune. By pre-pruning, the vine may get infected, but the infection is removed at the final pruning when there are less spores in the spring compared to the early winter. Pre-pruning can be done to keep the crews busy throughout the winter and avoid having too much work to do if a grower tries to late prune all of their vines. At least by pre-pruning, the final pruning pass is quicker.

Now it’s time to start your under the vine weed control program. The cold dry weather has stunted the growth of weeds and cover crop. Additionally, many herbicides, specifically systemic herbicides, are not active when soil moisture is so low. It may be beneficial to wait until some rain replenishes the soil moisture, if your weeds are not too tall to wait. Before applying any pesticides, check with your local Pest Control Adviser.

An alternative, which happens to be compatible with this dry spell, is using under the vine tillage equipment. You cannot use this type of equipment if soils are wet or weeds are too tall, so this happens to be a good year to get your first weed control pass done mechanically. In vineyard that are not too steep or rocky, this can be a great, sustainable alternative to herbicide. The technology has improved significantly and many types of tillers are available. I have been using a new Gremagna, an implement that is like a small roto-tiller and is more effective than many implements that creates a relatively narrow width of soil disruption.

For more information on under the vine tillage equipment, check out my blog post here.

As we prepare for 2013, we also are reflecting on the glorious 2012 vintage. More notes to come soon on my thoughts on how those wines are developing in the cellars. Cheers!

Vineyard Update 10-19-2012- Seasons Change

2012-10-19T21:55:57Z

With rain pending early next week, this will be the fourth consecutive vintage with mid or early October rains. I cannot express how important it is to keep vineyard yields down and vine balance dialed in. (Although too little fruit can be problematic too, when sugar accumulation outpaces other ripening indices and grapes shrivel more easily under the heat stress.)

After two stressful, low yielding and expensive vintages, it is understandable that growers welcomed the larger crop that 2012 produced. And although we have had a warm, sunny and dry growing season, heavily cropped Cabernet ripened slowly and is showing aggressive tannins and green seeds, along with a combination of underripe and overripe characters.

Diligent thinning in the vineyard is really paying off now. Those Cabernet wineries that aggressively thinned their estate vineyards and worked with growers who brought their yields down are naturally winding down their harvests now, without rushing and without feeling like we are compromising quality to bring fruit in before the rain. The combination of a great growing season with low yields and fine-tuned canopy management allow us to get the hang time we need, but harvest earlier than many. There are a lot of wineries scrambling to pick fruit right now and their fruit is not optimally ripe because it was heavily cropped.

At this time, as fall colors are setting in and harvest is mostly complete, the vineyard crews are winterizing the vineyards to protect them from erosion and establish cover crops. An early season like this is beneficial for post harvest compost applications, fertigations, etc. because a still active canopy can take advantage of some additional resource uptake, and stimulate root growth.

Wineries are still busy managing their fermentations, draining and barreling down red wines. There is going to be a lot of big, bold, beautiful and sexy 2012’s! This year is already showing a lot of ripe flavors and big tannin wines. Even the less diligent wineries should be able to produce good wines this year, and the top vintners should produce stellar wines.

Vineyard Update 10-1-2012- In the Heat of the Moment

2012-10-03T19:08:05Z

Early October brings us the warmest weather of the year! October 1 peaked out at 106 degrees in Yountville. Fortunately, it was cool at night (45 degrees) and although the temperatures spiked, they declined rapidly.

Most of the harvest of Napa’s Pinot noir, and a good portion of its Chardonnay and Merlot are completed already, and the Cabernet harvest is set into high gear with this recent heat spike.

The Cabernet benefits from its thicker skins, which are particularly thick and tannic this year, and most vineyards are holding up pretty well in the heat, experiencing mild shriveling only on the most exposed clusters. However, some weak blocks or steep blocks with western aspect are experiencing more severe shriveling and need to be harvested. Growers may need to consider harvesting the most exposed clusters or the afternoon sun side of the vines separately.

The good news is that the flavors are great. These wines should be powerful, with intense structure and tannin in the skins, and ripe from the warm growing season. What a contrast to 2011!

Even the normally later ripening mountain Cabernet sites are showing earlier maturation than normal with high Brix, low acid, and minimal green characters, but most importantly, great berry flavors. These sites may not get as warm during the days, but they are also above the fog line and have warmer evenings.

The heat is anticipated to be short lived, and seasonable October weather will allow for slower and steady ripening of the remainder of the Cabernet. Although with how great all the Cab is tasting already and the quick ripening that has occurred across most of Napa and Sonoma counties, I expect the majority of Cabernet to be harvested in the next two weeks, barring any more unusual weather events.

Get ready for some sexy 2012's!

Vineyard Update 9-22-2012- The Autumnal Equinox

2012-09-22T20:54:45Z

As autumn begins, the harvest of Bordeaux variety red grapes begins in north coast vineyards. In Napa, the harvest of the earliest lots of Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon has just begun this past week. Harvesting of Sauvignon Blanc, an early ripening variety with a short maturation period between veraison and harvest, is winding down. Harvesting of Pinot noir is midway, and Chardonnay is just beginning.

Winemakers remain optimistic about the 2012 vintage due to warm days and cool nights dominating the weather this past month and remaining in the forecast for the next 10 days or so. All of this warm, but not hot, and sunny weather, has allowed for slow and steady maturation of the grapes throughout September. Flavors have developed at relatively low Brix, and the balance of low sugars and nice acidity with great flavors has been the trend with the lots of Sauvignon Blanc and Pinot noir that have been harvested thus far.

The Cabernet tastes more concentrated and flavorful at lower Brix than I have ever tasted. Merlot, which tends to do better in cooler years, was accumulating sugar and losing acidity quickly with less flavor concentration, but has come around and is showing some nice flavors with better concentration but at higher Brix.

Although the days haven’t been too hot, later ripening blocks may need some irrigation to maintain canopies and slow sugar accumulation as phenolic ripening occurs. Post harvest irrigations will be a good idea this year as most blocks will still have active canopies and the soil is still warm, and irrigation can stimulate root growth.

The crop is abundant, and many blocks are coming in higher than estimated. Some experiments that I have been a part of this year have shown significantly earlier ripening in blocks that were thinned aggressively and early compared to those with minimal thinning. There is a Syrah block I work with that had some rows take down to 1 cluster per shoot and it is nearly 3 Brix higher than the vines on the minimally thinned vines. This difference can be significant if fall rains approach or the weather turns colder. And even with decent weather, heavier cropped vines can be less concentrated and less flavorful, although undercropped vines are not ideal either. It pays to be diligent with vine balance to grow quality grapes and to hedge your risks.

Napa Valley is humming with a steady harvest pace, and the consistent weather has even allowed for some winemaker sightings out on the town! Again, we hope for continued blissful weather!

Vineyard Update 9-4-2012 Harvest 2012 Begins With Optimism

2012-09-04T18:30:00Z

Steady warmth sets the stage for the beginning of the 2012 north coast winegrape harvest. We’ve had nearly ideal weather all summer long, with fluctuations between slightly above average and slightly below average daytime temperatures with cool nights. This has allowed for quick and uniform ripening in most locations, although some hillside and extreme coastal locations are typically slow and late.

The sparkling wine harvest has been in full swing for the last few weeks, and still wine has begun with the earliest lots. This coming week, we anticipate harvesting warmer climate Sauvignon Blanc lots and some Pinot noir blocks for still wines. Although Pinot noir is showing nice flavors at lower Brix and has not seen much of a jump in sugar accumulation despite the warmer temperatures, other varieties are experiencing rapid sugar accumulation and lowered acidity. If the weather trend remains warm, we can anticipate a riper year, especially compared to the last two, with less acidity. I have already seen some Bordeaux red grapes, Merlot and Malbec, approaching 24 Brix!

The crop continues to look above average in yields, especially for Pinot noir and Bordeaux red varieties. The most conscientious growers have been thinning and manicuring fruit, although many growers are taking advantage of the heavier yields. This is always a risk, and it is better to air on the side of caution and be content with a lower crop of high quality, excellent concentration, and happy winemakers! With the climatic trend of earlier fall rains, the earlier the grapes ripen, the better off we all are. This means thinning heavier crops earlier in the season to accelerate ripening. These later thinning passes will help for uniform maturation, but are not as impactful in terms of accelerating ripening than earlier thinning passes.

The above average crop may help steady the pace of ripening despite warm weather, and allow for slower flavor maturation and slower decline of acidity. Irrigation is critical this time of year, to provide vines with the water needed to respond to heat events without losing leaves and photosynthetic capacity, but excessive irrigation will dilute grape flavors and delay ripening. As always, balance is critical!

Anticipation and excitement is in the air as we harvest the first lots of the 2012 vintage amidst optimism and great weather. Let’s hope the weather continues to be moderate!

Vineyard Update 8-14-2012 Feelin' Hot Hot Hot!

2012-08-15T04:10:42Z

Hot weather the past ten days advanced ripening in all grape varieties on the north coast. Temperatures remained cool at the coast but soared into the 100’s in the inland valleys. Nighttime temperatures cooled dramatically, providing some relief from the days’ extreme heat and avoiding any extreme heat damage.

The Pinot noir and Chardonnay harvest for sparkling wine has slowly begun. Sauvignon Blanc harvest is anticipated to begin late next week, as the earliest blocks are at 20-22° Brix. In all varieties, veraison is progressing rapidly, and most of Pinot noir and Chardonnay have completed veraison. As usual, Merlot and Malbec went though veraison early, and these varieties as well as Cabernet Sauvignon moved quickly through veraison. This is promising for uniform ripening! Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot are typically delayed in veraison, but this week’s heat moved them along as well.

Irrigation was critical to avoid having the vines shut down in these afternoons of high temperatures and high vapor pressure deficits. By hydrating the soils prior to these heat events, the vines will respond to the evaporative demand of the climate, and not be limited by soil moisture and go into a stress response. Be careful not to overirrigate as berries are sizing rapidly in all varieties.

Crop yields look to be good, and as the old adage says, a big crop gets bigger. After several low yielding and late ripening vintages, the good sized crop and early ripening this year is a relief. However, one should not take too much advantage of the yields and forego thinning for quality. Although veraison passed quickly, and in some cases too quickly for a thorough green drop, conscientious growers are fine tuning crop yield based on vine vigor by removing clusters from weak/unlignified shoots left behind, removing clusters or wings and shoulders of clusters in congested areas, and manicuring fruit to a uniform size. This will help with uniform maturation by allowing dappled sunlight and airflow.

I have seen the first cluster of Pinot noir with Botrytis and this is a concern considering how tight clustered Pinot is this year and berries plumping this year. In general, berry growth seems to be rapid as Brix approach the high teens, and we need to keep an eye on yields. Another concern is continued heat could cause shrivel, so be alert to changes in the weather and heat events to protect your grapes this season. That being said, if weather turns in the opposite direction, that could be a concern too!

Let’s hope the weather is steady and we can enjoy the rapidly approaching harvest that shows excellent promise!

Vineyard Update 7-17-2012 Veraison Begins as Harvest Approaches

2012-07-17T22:05:02Z

Other than today’s unusual drizzly weather, this summer we have been experiencing steady warmth peppered with a few hotter days reaching into the high 90’s in the warmer locations of Napa and Sonoma counties. Most vineyards have berries that are close to or are already experiencing lag phase. Lag phase is a period of slowed growth following the first period of rapid growth after berry set, and prior to veraison which marks the onset of ripening and the beginning of the second period of rapid berry growth. I have seen a little bit of veraison in Pinot noir, Merlot, and even a couple berries of Cabernet in earlier ripening sites.

Lag phase is a good time to do crop estimates because the grapes have completed their first period of growth, which is characterized by cellular division, one of the main factors that determine the final berry size. At this time, berries are about half their final weight, so by getting an idea of the number of clusters per vine and the average weight of clusters at lag phase, you can get an idea of pounds per vine now and double that to get an idea of pounds per vine at harvest. This can be easily extrapolated to tons per acre if you know the number of vines per acre. Not all varieties and blocks double in size between lag phase and harvest, and it also depends on the season and what your target maturity is, so it is a good idea to take lag phase and harvest cluster weights every year in your blocks to get an idea of what that multiple usually is for each block, and combine that with your current observations this year.

Overall, it looks like the north coast is set up to have a good yielding crop this year, which would be much needed relief as the market moves into a grape shortage and after two difficult, low-yielding vintages. Although Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc seem better than last year, yields are variable depending on site and not much above average in most sites. Pinot noir seems slightly above average in most sites. Bordeaux reds set well, with long and branched clusters in most sites. Vine balance will be critical, and crop estimation can be used to determine protocols for thinning to target yields.

Weak vines, low vigor sections, and replants should be thinned as early after set as possible to minimize using the vine’s limited resources for fruit production that will not be harvested. The earlier the vines are thinned, the photosynthetic capacity can be used for root and vegetative production which will improve carbohydrate storage and vigor for the long term, improving block uniformity.

However, for stronger and more established vines, it makes sense to wait until lag phase to complete the first thinning pass. If these vines are thinned before lag phase, the vine may put its resources into the remaining clusters and berry size may increase, much in the same way as if we irrigate or fertilize strong vines during this first phase of berry growth. Since we want smaller berries for more concentrated wines, we should wait until lag phase to remove fruit from established vines. Then, it makes sense to remove clusters from crowded areas, weak shoots, any damaged clusters, and possibly remove wings. If a major crop adjustment is desired, it may make sense to thin to a target number of clusters. A second thinning pass can be made at a certain percent veraison to thin green clusters that are lagging in development and to make a crop yield adjustment, thinning green fruit at 80% veraison is an easy way to cut the yield by 20%.

In trying to achieve the goal of small, more concentrated berries, it is best to withhold irrigation and impose a water deficit on vines throughout the first phase of berry growth and lag phase. However, young vines, weak sections, and well-drained rocky sites may need irrigation to sustain healthy canopies prior to this stage of development. Plumping up berry size is less of a concern in this situation because the vines’ resources are limited and irrigating to maintain vine health is unlikely to cause a significant increase in berry size if vines are struggling to maintain their canopies.

Fortunately, we are earlier than the last few years, having caught up after a late budreak to an average bloom, and now veraison begins a little before average. With a potential for a decent sized crop, we can use a long hang time, so hopefully this ideal weather pattern holds, with lots of warmth, but minimal extreme heat spikes, and the quality can be good too!

Vineyard Update 6-26-2012 - Eustress or Distress?

2012-06-26T17:45:00Z

Despite a cool and late start, the 2012 season has ‘caught up’ to an average vintage according to heat accumulation indices, and at this point we are tracking close to the acclaimed 2007 and 2009 vintages. However, the March and April rains we received this year started us out with more hydrated soils than both 2007 and 2009. With that in consideration, this vintage so far resembles the famed 1997 vintage in terms of a warm late spring with significant winter rain replenishment.

After two low yielding seasons, we have a potential for a good-sized crop. Set went well in most sites in the north coast vineyard regions. Chardonnay is a bit hit and miss, with some blocks that have small clusters with low cluster counts, but others that are average or above. Sauvignon Blanc seems better than the last two years but still looks a little low in terms of cluster count. Pinot noir looks average or slightly above average. The Bordeaux varieties have long and branched clusters that set well, so there is a potential for high yields in these varieties.

Although a good crop will be a relief for growers and wineries after two low yielding and challenging (translate- expensive) vintages, the canopies are not as strong and developed as they have been recently and vine balance is critical. The last two years, we experienced late spring rains that built strong canopies. Although we received adequate rainfall in March and April to fill the soil profiles, we have not received any significant rain since, and the rapid growth of the vines including the suckers, depleted the vigor from the primary count shoots. A few sites (well drained, shallow soils) even benefited from pre-bloom irrigations this year or suffer with low vigor if they didn’t receive them.

Although there have been some additional laborers moving up to the north coast vineyards as the berry harvests wind down, large companies are still struggling to get caught up on canopy management work. There are some sites that are just getting suckered now. However, the goal is to soon complete lateral and leaf removal passes in the fruiting zone to open the area around the clusters to light and air. This season is trending warm and we’ve already had a few heat spikes, and with less dense canopies than the last couple of years, it makes sense to focus on interior leaf and lateral removal and leave some outer coverage for shade protection during heat waves. You can always take more off, but overexposing the fruit now can lead to sun and heat damage. That being said, the earlier you get to this pass after set, the better for the fruit to get accustomed to the sun exposure, and unfortunately much of this work is delayed.

The earliest blocks are approaching lag phase, and this is a good time to do the first pass of fruit thinning. Grapes experience two phases of growth, the first a period of cellular division, then a lag phase, followed by a period of cellular expansion that begins at veraison. If you thin fruit before lag phase, the remaining fruit can plump up in berry size due to less fruit absorbing the vine’s energy. If you wait til lag phase, the period of cellular division is complete, and you will make less impact on increasing berry size of the remaining clusters, but make a bigger impact on advancing ripening in the remaining fruit compared to waiting until veraison. This is particularly important for weaker vines whose resources are limited, earlier thinning is better, and lag phase is a good time to start. After declumping and thinning weak shoots at lag phase, you can do a crop estimate, and adjust to your target yields during a second thinning pass, which is a green cluster drop, at veraison.

Irrigation is going to be critical this year. We have the fortune to be able to stress the vines during this first phase of berry growth to create smaller, more concentrated berries. However, be careful with blocks that lack uniformity or are low vigor as too much stress may shut down vines, and this can cause these vines to struggle to ripen the larger crop this year. Irrigating at lag phase may be a good idea in these blocks, and a deep irrigation now may carry a block with moderate stress to veraison, when another relief may be needed. Additionally, beware of heat waves. The June 16 heat wave caused minor damage in some blocks, and stressed vines that enter the next heat wave may be more damaged either by leaf loss or sunburn on the fruit.

It is a stressful time of the year in the vineyard. There’s still a lot of work to be done, and the problems and variability start to appear. The stress challenges growers to contemplate the season and its challenges and to respond the best ways they can. It is also great to be able to stress our vines this year, especially after two overly vigorous seasons, to get earlier ripening and more concentrated grapes. Let’s just not let the stress overwhelm ourselves or our vines!

Vineyard Update 6-6-2012 Ready ‘Set’ Go!

2012-06-06T18:17:00Z

Despite a late start to budbreak, seasonably warm and dry weather accelerated vine development and we are finishing bloom in Napa Valley. Bloom is one of the most critical times in the vineyard, when grape flowers lose their caps and either pollinate (called ‘set’) or fall off (called ‘shatter.) Steady warm weather with mild breezy conditions is the best for encouraging a good set, and despite some windy days and the last couple days of cooler and showery weather, we have had mostly good weather for set this year.

Vine fruitfulness is determined over a two-year period, since buds form the year prior to growing. If the prior year’s season is cool and wet during bud differentiation, you may have less fruitfulness. Despite last year’s cool and wet spring and early summer, fertility seems to be good in most vineyards except the coolest, most vigorous, or most challenged sites. In most vineyards, the crop yield potential is good. Of course, there’s a lot that can happen between now and then, but we are off to a good start with average or above average cluster counts, longer than average clusters with large shoulders and wings, and what appears to be a decent set.

The consistent and above average temperatures have caused significant vine growth in a short period of time, contributing to the labor shortage that exists in California. With tightened border patrol and immigration, more competition from central valley produce farmers, and expanded work opportunities in Mexico, labor has been scarce which was really evident this spring with the condensed season of shoot growth and the high demand for vine hand work for canopy management. This brings up many challenges to Napa Valley growers including managing our work force for the future, attracting new workers to our vineyards, and reducing the need for labor through efficiency and mechanization while maintaining quality.

The weather has been nearly ideal, but growers may have become accustomed to two prior wet springs, and may be surprised at how quickly soils are drying out this year. Although these drier conditions are good for reducing vigor and keeping berry size small, irrigation may be needed earlier than usual. This is especially true for very rocky and exposed sites, sites that are still in establishment, or sites that suffer from variability where irrigation will help improve vigor and uniformity.

Another main focus of the next few weeks is vineyard nutrition. Many people take vine nutrition samples at bloom, and the results will indicate if there are deficiencies that need to be met. And even without specific deficiencies, this is a good time for an application of a holistic organic fertilizer application.

Now is the time that the insect pests start to build populations so make sure to get out in the vineyard regularly and monitor leafhoppers, mites, and other insect pests. Also keep an eye out for beneficial insects since a large quantity of beneficial insects may lower your thresholds for treating pests.

Once we get through set, growers make an additional pass to remove the lateral shoot growth to open the area near grape clusters to dappled sunlight and airflow. It is also advisable to remove clusters from weak vines and shoots at this time to try to improve the vine vigor for the years to come. So we are still quite busy!

Driving around California, it is hard to miss the extensive vineyard replanting that is going on. Winery demand is increasing, and along with it so have grape prices. Forecasting some economic recovery, many growers are taking this opportunity to replant their vineyards, and a vine shortage has ensued. Plant material is scarce, and now more than ever, it is imperative to make sure that your plant material is certified and good quality. It is nearly impossible to recover from planting poor material, and if the vine has virus or other transmissable diseases, you may be putting your neighbors at harm too.

One final subject to note is that Napa County continues to be in a costly eradication mode for the European Grapevine Moth, an invasive insect pest. Although we have dramatically reduced the number of finds, we still have caught some of these insects in traps, and need diligence on the part of the community to continue to treat for these pests through chemical treatments (organic and sustainable products available) and through mating disruption.

Despite the labor and plant material shortages, and the continual concerns of invasive pests and other vineyard challenges, the spirit in Napa is high now, with improved grape prices, a moderate spring, and a potential for a decent sized crop. Let’s continue to be diligent and hope for mother nature’s best!

Vintage Update 5-21-2012- The Heat is On!

2012-05-21T21:20:00Z

Grapegrowers across Napa, Sonoma, and Mendocino counties are doing their best to stay on top of the essential canopy management work that needs to be done in vineyards. After the late start to the season and then rapid growth after the weather warmed in late April, all vineyards need to be suckered and positioned at the same time. California is also experiencing a shortage of labor making it particularly difficult to get all the work completed.

The rapid growth was accompanied by strong growth of suckers, growing positions along the vine that are not intended for fruit production. Once growers get around to suckering, they are seeing that the intended positions may have grown less weak and more variable than they would like to see. The suckers really pulled a lot of energy from the ‘count’ shoots this year. If you have a lot of variability in shoot length, it may be worthwhile to tip the long shoots to stimulate growth into the weaker shoots.

Also, growth has slowed and many shoots are not seeing full extension, but flowers are starting to bloom. We may not see as much canopy development as we would hope for, coupled with some variability, and this will have to be addressed at fruit thinning if we have a good set. And in the weakest blocks, it may make sense to fertilize if you haven’t already, but be careful because water and fertilizer at this stage may push vine growth at the expense of a good set.

On a positive note, bloom has begun! And the weather has been perfect for a good set. After two low yielding vintages, it would be nice to have a good set, and if we need to do extra thinning, that would be better than not having enough fruit. The lovely weather has caused the period from budbreak to bloom to be shorter than average, and we are catching up on our grapevine phenology which is good since another late vintage could bring rains before ripeness.

As if suckering was the only thing going on! Everyone is preparing or applying their bloom sprays. It is a good idea to put a mildew protectant, a Botrytis protectant, and some foliar nutrients like boron and zinc, which will help with set. Some vineyards are in the Napa County quarantine for the European Grapevine moth and need to add an insecticide to try to eradicate this pest.

Weed control is still an important activity. Many people are making their second weedeating, mowing, and cultivation passes. And as soon as suckering and positioning is complete, we will have gone through set and will need to pull laterals and possibly leaves around the clusters to allow for air and sunlight to dapple the grapes.

A final reminder- the next few weeks are the time to take your vine tissue nutrient samples to send to the lab for analysis. Bloom is the best time for that, and the earlier you get your results returned from the lab, the quicker you can address any deficiencies and apply any fertilizers necessary.

All in all, the vines look healthy, we are optimistic for a good set, and less vegetative growth can be a positive thing for less canopy management and better ripening if the vines are not overcropped. So, despite my concern over shoot length and variability, I am enthusiastic about what I see.

Cliff Lede Winemaker Kale Anderson in a 1946 heritage planting of Sauvignon Vert

Vintage Update 5-8-2012- Woah, Woah...Stop the Clock!

2012-05-08T18:43:15Z

Esteemed viticultural consultant Bob Gallagher said to me this week, ‘We spend our time waiting and trying to keep the crews busy all winter and early spring, and then all of a sudden we are two weeks behind!’ This couldn’t be truer, especially in a year like this, when we had nice April rains that broke into this warm and sunny weather. The vines have been growing so rapidly! The weekend of April 21^st and this week we’ve even had temperatures in the 90s.

Earlier budbreak varieties started early, but barely grew in March and most of April, and so it seems that varietals that budded out later are not far behind. Almost every vine I look at has about 12-18 inches of vegetative growth and needs SUCKERING! Damn suckers!

Suckers are shoots that are growing any place on the vine that you didn’t intend and don’t want them to grow. When we prune, we leave a certain number of buds from the prior year’s growth, and those are intended to produce shoots and fruit in the coming season. Any growth from the trunk, along a cordon, a second shoot growing from the same bud, in a crowded area of the head of the vine, should be removed, and this process is called suckering!

It is best to prioritize suckering of young vines, weak vines, and cane pruned vines (otherwise you can see a lot of apical dominance and the shoots near the head grow weakly which is not good since these shoots become the canes to select from for next year’s canes). Lower priority is high vigor blocks that can benefit from more growing points slowing down overall vine growth.

It’s not just the vines that awaken in the spring. So do the pests such as thrips, mealybugs, mites, and little vertebrate varmints. Keep an eye out for these guys! Look for spider mites underneath the leaf in the cracks of the vein near the leaf attachment to the petiole. Erinium mites are more obvious as their blistering of the leaf is a classic and obvious symptom. Mealybugs are just starting to move onto leaves, but are more likely found underneath bark on the cordon or on a spur position. Thrips are often found on the shoot tips and can cause a classic distortion of the leaf shape, like a cup, and a black color on the leaf margins. Voles and gophers make obvious signs along the ground.

Any of these pests can be tolerated to a certain degree, so you need to keep an eye on their predators and look for a balance. If the quantity exceeds tolerable levels, then there are many options to address this lack of balance. Call me if you want to discuss!

Because we received significant rainfall recently, the cover crops grew rapidly at the end of the season, and need to be mowed AGAIN! Also, it’s time to begin your mildew prevention program if you haven’t already. So crews are busy dividing their time between suckering, mowing, cultivating, and spraying.

This year, May 1 marked the transition from our mellow time to the crazy time of the year, and the transition from mud to dust!

Vintage Update 4-13-2012- Slowly Springing

2012-04-13T18:33:19Z

Wet weather continued this past week, further delaying budbreak. At this point, we are even a few days behind 2011, one of the latest budbreaks in recent history. The earliest blocks have 3 to 5 inches of growth, but some of the later blocks are just starting to push buds out.

Last week, we experienced some frosty mornings, but in most areas temperatures did not creep below 31°, and damage was limited to a few singed leaves. The wetter weather this week has allowed growers who were up all night turning on wind machines and sprinklers to catch back up on much needed sleep.

Fortunately, we are starting the season with a fully drenched soil profile, which will allow the vines to build strong canopies. Hopefully, the rain will stop soon so the canopies don’t experience excessive vegetative growth.

The rain and slow vine growth has delayed vineyard operations. Some growers have had a chance to mow their cover crops between the periods of unsettled weather. If the cover crop is perennial, it makes sense to not mow again or to delay mowing until the cover goes to seed.

Although it is best to reduce the amount of cultivation in soils to build healthier soils and reduce erosion and soil run-off, young blocks or very low vigor sites may benefit from cultivation to reduce the competition from the cover crop. Hillsides should wait until the rainy season is over, and many Napa vineyards have ordinances preventing hillside cultivation until after April 15.

The earliest blocks are ready for their first mildew prevention spray. Although it is common and acceptable to use a wettable sulfur and copper to start the season, I think it is even better to use oil sprays in the first few sprays. Sulfur needs heat to activate and the cooler weather we are having will cause the sulfur to be less effective. Plus, oil has efficacy against mites and thrips, which I have already seen on some young leaves.

Voles and other rodents have been an increasing concern in Napa vineyards in recent years with wet springs. As soon as the ground dries out enough and we get some warmer weather, I expect to see these varmints. It is good to start trapping earlier in the season before they begin their reproduction, so keep an eye out for voles.

The warmer weather forecasted for next week should really push vine growth into full gear and we'll be busy mowing, spraying, and suckering!

Please share your thoughts and observations- frost damage, insect sightings, etc. We welcome an interactive dialogue!

Vintage Update 3-26-2012- Budbreak Proceeds Slowly

2012-03-26T18:28:00Z

Although the vines started to grow early this year, the recent cool and unsettled weather has slowed and extended budbreak. The most advanced blocks, such as Chardonnay in Carneros, are almost fully out, but many blocks are just experiencing bud swell.

The delay is welcome in that the later we experience budbreak, the less likely we will experience frost as we move into the later months of spring. And this unsettled weather has minimized frosty nights recently. Moreover, the rain is much needed since we have received only about half of an average year’s rainfall thus far. The forecast calls for more unsettled weather, which is promising, especially if it comes now and then clears up for late spring.

As pruning is nearing completion, we are in a bit of a waiting period for vineyard operations. If the ground is dry enough, now is a good time to mow.

In Napa County, growers are putting out mating disruption dispensers for the European Grapevine moth, as we are still trying to eradicate this invasive pest. This is an environmentally-friendly way of combating these insects as these dispensers emit mating pheromones throughout the vineyard and confuse the insects and make it nearly impossible for them to find actual mates. This mating disruption will be paired with two or more insecticidal sprays that are targeted specifically for this pest and have minimal non-target mortality, and the hope is that this year we can eradicate this pest from Napa.

The next major vineyard operation will be suckering, when we remove shoots that are growing out from the trunk or other positions that were not left intentionally during pruning. This is usually done once budbreak is complete and the shoots are at least 4” long, but before they begin to lignify and become difficult to remove by hand.

Growers also need to plan their first mildew prevention spray. This should also occur when shoots have reached 2-6” of growth, but may be delayed in lower pressure sites.

This is always an exciting time of year, when the energy of spring brings the promise of a new season and we anticipate another unique vintage.

Vintage Update- 3-13-2012- Spring Ahead

2012-03-13T17:23:00Z

With buds swelling all over Napa County and some Chardonnay beginning to grow, vineyard managers prepare themselves for another growing season with significantly different concerns than the prior two years. With record low winter rainfall in many locations, most of California is concerned about getting through this drought year. Fortunately, this year was preceded by two prior wet years; nonetheless, we are still concerned about water availability. The weather forecasts call for significant rain this next week, so hopefully it will be sufficient to fill our soil profiles and allay some of our concerns.

Growers have been challenged in 2011 and 2010 with wet springs that make it difficult to control vine vigor as well as fungal diseases such as powdery mildew and Botrytis. Canopy management and disease prevention costs were high. It would be a relief to growers to not have to repeat those challenges and have better control over vine vigor in 2012, if, and only if, there is significant water to sustain the vines through any extreme periods of heat and to establish young vines in this era of significant replanting. Although vines can live with minimal irrigation, and growers often benefit from being able to control vine vigor through minimal and timely irrigations, insufficient water can be detrimental to vines accustomed to irrigation and can cause issues with low vigor, and overexposed fruit that may burn or shrivel.

The other concern about low water availability is for growers who use sprinklers for frost protection. This season may turn out to be a long and challenging frost season, since high pressure systems with clear skies have dominated leaving sunny days with cold, frosty nights. Budbreak is early, meaning this frost season may last longer than usual. Growers in less frost-prone areas will get better sleep in the next few months, and those with wind machines are in a better position than those with sprinklers as long as the inversion layers remain strong and the temperatures do not drop down too low. This may be the year to invest in orchard heaters and/or back-up wind machines if sprinklers have been your primary method of control. It is virtually impossible to even find a wind machine to rent. And get your mowers out, as tall cover crops will impede air flow and cause even greater frost risk!

Another long-term consideration about drought comes to mind when thinking about California’s most recent drought year of 2008 when wildfires burned throughout California. Napa already experienced a fire in the hills late this February when a controlled burn got out of hand on a dry, windy day. Fortunately, it was controlled overnight and there was little property damage and no one was injured.

What is ironic is that although these concerns are all reasonable given the current knowledge, we cannot predict the weather. Even weather forecasters have a hard time doing so, but they are currently forecasting some rain and unsettled weather this week. Significant rain this March and into early April will benefit us by filling the soil profile and reducing the frost risks. Let’s hope it comes now and not later in the spring when it challenges growers with high vigor and increased risk of diseases.

Most of my vineyards have not quite experienced budbreak yet, but judging from the level of bud swell, Chardonnay, Pinot noir, Malbec, Tempranillo and other early blocks and varieties will experience budbreak within the next week or so. This is a little bit early compared to ‘average,’ and significantly earlier than the two prior late years of 2011 and 2010.

At this point, lets remain optimistic that this week's weather events will fill our soil profiles and that overall the relatively dry winter will at best give us less concerns for vine vigor and disease prevention and allow us the flexibility to irrigate as needed and produce winegrapes with better concentration and riper maturity.

Cordon to Cane Conversion in Vineyards

2012-02-16T17:59:00Z

This article assumes some level of familiarity with cane and cordon pruning techniques. If you are not familiar with the differences between cane and cordon pruning, it may make sense to review my prior posts on those subjects:

http://blog.vinestowine.com/2010/02/05/grapevine-cane-pruning.aspx

http://blog.vinestowine.com/2010/01/05/cordon-pruning.aspx

Cordon training/pruning is popular for its simplicity. It takes less time than cane pruning and does not require a very skilled worker; therefore it is less expensive.

However, cane pruning is preferred to cordon pruning because the selection of which cane and the cane length by a skilled vineyard worker can fine tune the balance of each individual vine better than cordon pruning.

Additionally, cane pruning can improve yields. The buds on a cane tend to be more fruitful than the buds of spur positions on a cordon. When cordon pruning, only basal buds of the prior year’s canes are left to grow in the following season, whereas in cane pruning, a longer length of cane is left. Although varietal dependent, these apical buds tend to be more fruitful than basal buds. This is especially true as vines age.

Cane pruning also spreads the following season’s shoots out, requiring less suckering in the spring. Only one shoot grows per bud or position along the cane, whereas two shoots grow from a traditional cordon’s spur position.

Many older cordon-pruned vineyards suffer from serious loss due to dead spur positions and arms from Eutypa or Bot canker.

Between yield loss from Eutypa and lowered yields with older cordon vines, many growers are converting their cordon-trained vineyards to cane pruning. By doing so, it is possible to cut out most of the cankers in the vines.

The best way to do this takes a couple years. In the first year, a sucker from the base of the vine (but above the graft union) is selected and maintained throughout the growing season. During pruning, this sucker is pruned back so that it is as tall as the fruiting wire, and the lower part can be dis-budded allowing only a few top buds to grow the following season to produce 3-4 shoots. The rest of the vine is pruned normally this year.

This method may crowd the fruiting zone near the head of the vine during the second year, but it causes no loss of productivity. The following winter, the sucker will now be a replacement truck with 3 to 4 canes growing out of the top that can be used as canes. The old cordon and the trunk can be removed to a few inches above the new replacement trunk. The replacement trunk can be tied to the vine stake and canes can be selected and tied to the fruiting wire.

Some vines may not push a sucker in the first year, but will do so in the second year. Also, some growers may not have the patience to do this over two years. If vines push a strong sucker in the second year, or year one for the impatient grower, that sucker may be long enough to serve as the trunk and a cane the following season. If not, it can just be used as a trunk, and the following year it will produce canes, causing only a one-year loss of productivity.

As an example, in this photo, after year one, a strong sucker was selected and used as a trunk and a cane, and the old cordon and trunk were removed to just above where the sucker emerges. The vine had lower productivity, but no loss of productivity. When we prune it this year, we will cut the sucker down to the fruiting wire to be a trunk and use this year’s shoot production to select two canes.

If you do not want to wait two years, then the entire vineyard can be converted like this as long as the majority of vines have strong suckers selected in year 1.

Without waiting at all, a cordon can be cut back to one or two spur positions and a cane can be pulled down and tied to the wire from one of these first spur positions. Two positions per cordon should be left if you want two canes from each side for very vigorous vines, or only one position per cordon will be sufficient if two canes will be used. The problem with this is that you may not cut the canker disease out if it has moved into these remaining spur positions near the head of the trunk. Also, older spur positions tend to be long, and you may need to bow the cane to get it to tie back down to the fruiting wire. With a really long spur position, the new cane may be bowed significantly and may bend under the weight of the fruit during the growing season. A new fruiting wire may need to be added near the top of the spur positons.

Here is an example of vigorous Sauvignon Blanc vines that had significant Eutypa and low yields. It needs 4 canes to be balanced, so two spur positions were left on each side of the vines. One cane on each side is bowed and tied down to the fruiting wire. The other cane is tied to the first set of moveable catch wires. If the grower continues with this conversion, they will likely add a new set of two fruiting wires near the top of the spur positions so that all four canes can be tied at the same height and rest along secured fruiting wires in a split canopy system.

These conversions can be expensive, requiring vine surgery and in some cases, additional wires or trellis modifications. If canker diseases are not a major issue, but low yields are, and a desire to cane prune exists, there is the ‘mini-cane’ conversion below. In this instance, a short cane is selected from about every third spur position and tied to the first catch wire. This will not cut out any canker diseases though. This requires no trellis wire and no surgery, although you may want to consider removing the spur positions in between the canes or at least disbud them, or you can remove them during suckering.

In all cases, it still makes sense to seal pruning wounds with a sealant such as B-lock to protect them from canker diseases. This is especially true if you are performing vine surgery and making large cuts. It is also recommended to do this type of surgery late in the winter once most fungal disease spores are already dispersed. And it probably makes sense for new vineyards to be trained for cane pruning so that a time consuming and costly conversion is not needed later.

Email or call me if you want to discuss the best way to make a conversion in your vineyard. All these methods have their pros and cons.

Vintage Update- 2-6-2012- Where’s the rain?

2012-02-06T22:39:43Z

Napa Valley has received less than a third of average rainfall so far this season. After being relieved of a drought pattern in 2010 and 2011, meteorologists are beginning to utter the dreadful ‘d’ word again. Even with a wet spring, there is little chance that we can build up California’s snow pack and replenish the supply needed for 2012.

A little bit of rain is on the way for tonight and tomorrow, but amounts are forecasted to be less than an inch in most areas. At this point, anything helps, but we could use more, and the weather is forecasted to clear shortly after this event. In fact, forecasters are predicting a drier than average February and a near average 90 day precipitation forecast.

The bonus of a drier winter has been that growers have made a lot of progress pruning. There shouldn’t be a race to finish pruning this year before budbreak occurs, even if budbreak appears early as a dry and warm winter may suggest. And weather has been nice for the people doing the pruning! Additionally, weed growth has been kept to a minimum.

Let’s hope that the forecasters are wrong and we get some significant rainfall this month and March. It would not be ideal to have another wet late spring since that makes canopy management more difficult and vines excessively vigorous and poses additional problems controlling diseases such as mildew and weeds.

The one thing that is predictable about farming is that it is unpredictable. We learn to plan ahead as best as we can, and to be flexible and react to what nature delivers.