2003 Napa Valley Vintage

Spring 2003 was the problem. Frank Leeds of Frog's Leap said the year offered up the nastiest first half of spring he had seen: "On the 14th of May, I would have said it was the 14th of April," because the vineyards stalled in the cold weather and rain and were a month behind. The vintage got a late start because of the cool, wet spring, and the weather trended cool, with a very damp April. Early rains and cool weather in April physiologically shut down vines at Schweiger Vineyards. Rainfall by month was 2.97 inches in January, 2.45 in February, 3.38 in March, 7.09 in April, 2.42 in May, 0.03 in June and 0.04 in July. Following a very wet, rainy winter, Long Vineyards had lighter yields than usual because of small berry size and shatter from spring wind and storms. A warm spell during flowering fueled a growth spurt in Merlot, which caused a poor set in some areas. Then September changed the arithmetic. Eight to ten very warm days in the middle of the month helped push maturity in many varieties, and the harvest time frame became compressed, with multiple varieties coming into the winery at once. Tim Bell of Freemark Abbey described a September heat wave that suddenly made Chardonnay, Merlot and Cabernet ripe at the same time. Jac Cole of Spring Mountain Vineyard called the heat spikes toward the end of September a scare that made them think they would be forced into an early, unripe harvest; moderate weather followed for the last three weeks. Wine Spectator credited brilliant fall weather with helping to salvage a difficult year, including a three-week stretch of 80 to 90 degree weather in October that Karen Culler called a "thank-you-Jesus October." Elias Fernandez of Shafer Vineyards said picking started off quickly, with lots of tonnage coming in all at once, and then everything came to a screeching halt. As of the November 4, 2003 release, most Cabernet Sauvignon was expected to be picked by the end of October.

• The cold, wet first half of spring left vineyards a month behind, with 7.09 inches of rain in April
• A warm spell during flowering caused a growth spurt and a poor set in some Merlot
• Eight to ten very warm days in mid September pushed maturity across varieties and compressed the harvest
• Moderate weather held for the last three weeks after the late-September heat spikes that Jac Cole of Spring Mountain Vineyard called a scare
• Wine Spectator credited brilliant fall weather, including a three-week stretch of 80 to 90 degree weather in October, with helping to salvage a difficult year
• Picking started off quickly and then, in Elias Fernandez's words, came to a screeching halt

Quantity was the cost of 2003. Delia Viader reported quantity 40 percent down throughout all varietals in her hillside vineyards. The Merlot crop was small, and across other varietals yields appeared slightly below normal. Frank Leeds said Zinfandel produced the lightest bins he had picked in twenty years. Richard Camera of The Hess Collection said that as of the November 4, 2003 release they had not picked even one percent of their Mount Veeder vineyards, with over 500 tons hanging and at least four weeks to go.

• Viader's hillside vineyards were 40 percent down in quantity across all varietals
• The Merlot crop was small; other varieties appeared slightly below normal
• Frank Leeds said Zinfandel gave the lightest bins he had picked in twenty years
• The Hess Collection had picked under one percent of its Mount Veeder fruit as of November 4, 2003, with more than 500 tons hanging

These are impressions recorded at or just after harvest in late 2003, not judgments on how the wines matured. Clay Gregory, then president of the Napa Valley Vintners Association, framed the year as a trade: the challenges presented by nature contributed to what most would agree is an excellent vintage, with lower yields and memorable quality. Peter Mondavi of Charles Krug called 2003 a complex vintage to manage and expected a great Cabernet Sauvignon vintage, perhaps the best in ten years. Wayne Donaldson of Domaine Chandon pointed to the shape of the season, with a long cool summer letting fruit flavors evolve ahead of sugar accumulation. Peter McCrea, proprietor of Stony Hill Vineyard, called his fruit extraordinary, with intense flavors, in spite of very hot August weather.

• Clay Gregory of the Napa Valley Vintners Association summarized the year as lower yields and memorable quality
• Peter Mondavi of Charles Krug called it a complex vintage to manage and expected a great Cabernet year
• Wayne Donaldson of Domaine Chandon saw flavors evolving ahead of sugar accumulation after a long cool summer
• Peter McCrea of Stony Hill Vineyard called his fruit extraordinary despite very hot August weather