2006 Napa Valley Vintage

Flooding kicked off the New Year in Napa Valley but did little damage to dormant vines, as cover crops stabilized soils in the vineyards while rain continued into spring. The Napa Valley Vintners chart's rainfall line reads 7.67, 5.09, 11.15, 6.96, 0.04 and 0.19 inches. Bud break was delayed by a few weeks. By June the weather had turned and the vines began to bloom and set fruit. The cool, wet spring led to early botrytis and slowed ripening, forcing adjustments in the vineyard. In mid-July a record-setting heat wave lasted about ten days. Because the crop was a few weeks behind the historically normal cycle, damage was almost nil, and most growers agree the heat helped catch the vines up. Clusters that took sunburn were removed during the normal post-veraison cluster thinning. Seasonal and somewhat cooler weather returned in August. Etude's Pinot Noir harvest began in early September, and the mild weather pattern continued throughout its three-week harvest, allowing moderately paced and deliberate ripening. Cool weather dominated early October, with some rain in the first week, but most white varieties were already harvested. Frog's Leap's Sauvignon Blanc in Rutherford was all in by September 10. Groth Vineyards and Winery planned to harvest two to three weeks later than average. Winemaker Michael Weis described the wait as a way to maximize the maturity of Cabernet without developing the "monster sugars" that can plague a warmer year.

• New Year flooding did little damage to dormant vines, with cover crops stabilizing vineyard soils
• Bud break was delayed by a few weeks after rain continued into spring
• A record-setting heat wave of about ten days in mid-July caused almost no damage and helped the vines catch up
• Seasonal and somewhat cooler weather returned in August, and Etude's Pinot Noir harvest ran three weeks with moderately paced ripening
• Rain fell in the first week of October, after most white varieties were already harvested
• Groth Vineyards and Winery planned to harvest Cabernet two to three weeks later than average

The wet spring led to early botrytis and slowed ripening. In Carneros, David Graves of Saintsbury said he did not think anyone anticipated how much botrytis pressure was already present in the clusters due to the wet spring. Heat spikes in July sunburned berries, and the damaged clusters were removed during the normal post-veraison cluster thinning. Then it turned cool near harvest, and rot was evident in many vineyards, some of which were not even picked. Etude winemaker Tony Soter said he was dismayed to see so many vineyards not being picked.

• July heat spikes sunburned berries, with damaged clusters removed during post-veraison thinning
• A cool stretch near harvest left rot evident in many vineyards, some of which went unpicked

Hugh Davies, winemaker for Schramsberg Vineyards, said "This was a grower's year," and that thanks to excellent agricultural practices the quality of varieties across the board appears spectacular. Etude winemaker Tony Soter said that for him the Cabernets of 2006 were the best he had seen since 2002, with compelling concentration, a very expressive personality, fine-grained tannins and long finishes. Michael Martini, master winemaker for Louis M. Martini Winery, said the 2006 Cabernet vintage in Napa Valley was turning out to be a very vibrant year, and that tight tannins lent the notion that wines from 2006 should be long lived.