Charles Smith Weekly Harvest Reports 2005

These reports are also printed weekly in the St. Helena Star.

They are listed with the most recent first.

October 20

I don't know if we are in the home stretch yet, but to keep up with the horse racing metaphor we are, at minimum, rounding the far turn. Next week, or the week after should be the end of things. As for this week, one-by-one, wineries are going offline. Nevertheless, quite a few grapes remain on the vine as Cabernet Sauvignon continues to dot the landscape. Blocks in cooler exposures, or those who are really serious about hang-time, are still hanging in there. Guilliams, Pride, Atchley, Crowley and others still have most of their grapes left. Paloma continues to wait on its Merlot. In spite of almost .2-inch of rain at higher elevations on Friday night, by Sunday we returned to the sunny perfection to which we have become accustomed.

October 13

The wonderfully temperate weather continues unabated and it looks to stay this way for at least another week. We're now in the second half of harvest with more wineries firing up their equipment. Chris Howell at Cain reports they will begin picking Merlot and Cabernet this week and John Guilliams is also starting with Cab. At Paloma, the Richards will probably make a tentative foray into Merlot by the end of the week and very likely Steve Sherwin will do the same with Cab. Quite a few grapes remain on the vine and, barring a spike in temperatures, harvest should go on for several weeks more.

October 6

Most of the white grapes on Spring Mountain will have been picked by the time this makes it into print. However, as often happens with a late start, the reds, meaning Cabernet Sauvignon, have a way of catching up and foreshortening the harvest. That, clearly, is the case again this year. More or less on schedule, a number of us, though certainly not all, will at least dip a toe in with Cabernet this week. Philip Togni reported that he'll probably begin picking this week and similar reports are in from Barnett, Keenan, Schweiger and Smith-Madrone. Quantity is oddly difficult to pin down with reports varying widely. A common theme that has emerged is high acids across the board combined with excellent quality fruit. Every one agrees that the extended cool, dry, sunny weather has been a blessing.

September 29

Things are starting to move on Spring Mountain. Schweiger is picking Merlot and Chardonnay, while Stony Hill is three-fourths through its harvest of all white grapes. Remarkably, Keenan is picking some early Cabernet Sauvignon -- before Chardonnay! Nevertheless, the majority of those heavy with Cab are still waiting patiently. Quality is high and quantity is spotty.

September 20

A week's worth of warm weather has moved the harvest that much closer. The early varieties are through veraison by this time and starting to ripen up. As is often the case in late years like this one, Cabernet Sauvignon seems to have a way of catching up and closing the gap. That seems to be happening now, though by how much remains to be seen, since harvest is still clearly a ways off.