2007 Sonoma Vintage

The winter was dry: rainfall was below usual, in some cases down by about one-third. That caused an early budbreak and led to small berry size, which reduced cluster weight but gave highly concentrated fruit. The growing season was generally moderate and even, with only a few heat spikes in early summer that hit before veraison, so quality was not affected. Sunny weather and warm but not hot temperatures ran up to mid-August, and Dan Goldfield of Dutton-Goldfield Winery said everything ripened really evenly. Harvest got off to an early start when warm weather arrived in mid-August and set off a fast-and-furious first harvest, until fog and cool weather in early September put picking on hold. Sun and cooler than average temperatures followed, and low humidity through the second half of September and October prevented disease pressure. The season stayed cool until rains in mid-October began a slow end to harvest. The crop was down: an estimated 190,000 to 195,000 tons, against record crops of 231,000 tons in 2005 and 216,000 tons in 2006.

• Winter: rainfall below usual, in some cases down by about one-third, bringing early budbreak and small berries
• Summer: moderate and even, with a few early heat spikes before veraison, including in the warm Alexander Valley
• Autumn: fog and cool weather in early September, then sun, cooler than average temperatures and low humidity, with mid-October rains beginning a slow end to harvest
• Yield: an estimated 190,000 to 195,000 tons, down from 231,000 in 2005 and 216,000 in 2006

The report on the vintage was titled "A Tale of Two Harvests," and the picking calendar shows why. Warm weather in mid-August combined with the early budbreak to bring everything in at once: early-ripening varieties were a bit late and later-ripening varieties a bit early, and Sauvignon Blanc and Chardonnay suddenly flooded the wineries. Fog and cool weather in early September stopped that rush, by which point most Sauvignon Blanc was in, along with some Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Zinfandel. "Some Pinot Noir was ready early, and then there was a ten-day break before the rest came in," said Adam Lee of Siduri Wines. A long, drawn-out harvest of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Syrah followed, and growers could pick only when fruit was ideally ripe. "This was the longest harvest we've ever had. It was almost three months," said Erik Olsen of Clos du Bois.

• Mid-August: a fast first harvest, led by Sauvignon Blanc and Chardonnay
• Early September: fog and cool weather paused picking and in many cases put sugar development into reverse
• Late September and October: a slow harvest of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Syrah, with no disease pressure
• At Simi Winery, the relaxed pace left time to taste every single block before it was picked

Nick Frey, president of the Sonoma County Winegrape Commission, called 2007 "an outstanding vintage for Sonoma County." The even season and cool finish let phenolics and flavors keep pace with sugar, while the small berries delivered exceptional concentration. "The crop size was down, but we harvested beautiful, beautiful fruit this year," said Steve Dutton of Dutton Ranch. Williams Selyem winemaker Bob Cabral said, "It wasn't a big Pinot crop," adding, "The Pinot Noirs are going to be much bigger tannin-wise."

• Pinot Noir: a small crop after the large 2006, with bigger tannins expected
• Chardonnay: Olsen described crisp, elegant but not overly ripe flavors
• Zinfandel: Carlisle winemaker Mike Officer expected lower alcohol and higher acid; Russian River and Sonoma Valley fared slightly better than Dry Creek, where low spring rainfall and the August heat spell dehydrated old, dry-farmed vineyards