2005 Sonoma Vintage

The weather story for 2005 comes from a single Press Democrat article by Tim Tesconi, published August 20, 2005, before most of the crop was picked. High cluster counts early in the season suggested Sonoma County could be headed for record tonnage. Then record rainfall in May and June arrived during bloom and interfered with pollination, and instead of forming grapes, many flowers withered and fell off. The wet spring meant constant spraying: diligent growers ran their equipment through the vines six to eight times to suppress mold, mildew and fungus, compared with two or three passes in a normal year. By mid-August, fog and dampness across Wine Country were slowing ripening and adding disease pressure. Paul Bialla, a Russian River Valley Chardonnay grower and president of the North Coast Grape Growers Association, told the paper, "One thing that all growers are concerned about is the possibility of bunch rot because of the cool, damp weather we have had this summer." On timing, the North Coast harvest started August 9 with grapes for sparkling wine and was not expected to peak until mid-September. The yield picture was split by variety: Pinot Noir and Sauvignon Blanc were down, while other leading grapes carried average to above-average crops.

• Spring (Sonoma County): record May and June rainfall hit during bloom and disrupted pollination
• Disease pressure: six to eight spray passes for mold, mildew and fungus in place of the usual two or three, with May rains setting the stage for botrytis in Sebastopol Pinot Noir
• Summer (Sonoma County): cool, damp weather, with fog slowing ripening by mid-August
• Harvest (North Coast): picking started August 9 with sparkling wine grapes; the peak was expected in mid-September

Pinot Noir was the variety most hurt by the spring rain. Sebastopol grower Kirk Lokka, a vineyard manager and partner with 25 years of farming behind him, told the Press Democrat that the May rains cut the crop in some of his blocks by 60 percent. "I've never had a year that has been this difficult," he said. Growers put the overall Pinot Noir crop down 20 to 30 percent, and down 50 to 80 percent in some parts of the Sonoma Coast and Russian River Valley. With strong demand for the grape in the wake of the hit movie "Sideways," most of the crop was already sold to wineries and prices were climbing, while an oversupply held down prices for Cabernet Sauvignon grown outside premier appellations such as the Napa and Alexander valleys. Across Sonoma, Mendocino, Napa and Lake counties, the total crop was estimated at 391,000 tons, 7 percent more than 2004, mainly from higher yields in some varieties and new vineyard acreage coming into production.

• Pinot Noir: down 20 to 30 percent overall, and 50 to 80 percent in some Sonoma Coast and Russian River Valley sites
• Sauvignon Blanc: down 15 to 20 percent in most areas
• Chardonnay, Zinfandel, Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon: average to above-average crops
• North Coast total: an estimated 391,000 tons, up 7 percent on 2004