2009 Sonoma Vintage

The weather story here comes from Decanter's California 2009 vintage guide by William Kelley, which covers the whole state; the conditions it describes apply to California broadly unless Sonoma is named. According to Decanter, heavy May rains did something to ease drought conditions, but fruit set across California was nonetheless light, with sparse clusters and small berries. Decanter describes summer and early fall statewide as dry and mild, with comparatively few heat spikes. That calm ended in mid-October, when the tail end of Super Typhoon Melor brought torrential rain. By then, Decanter reports, earlier-ripening varieties such as Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot Noir and Chardonnay had already been picked, while a minority of growers, principally in Napa and the Central Coast, still had Cabernet Sauvignon and Syrah on the vine. The rain brought rot and dilution, and Decanter says those who rushed to harvest before it began were amply justified. For Sonoma specifically, Decanter names the county's Pinot Noir and Chardonnay producers among those who excelled, because they picked before the October rains and benefited from the moderate growing season.

• Spring (California-wide, per Decanter): heavy May rains eased drought conditions, but fruit set was light, with sparse clusters and small berries
• Summer and early fall (California-wide, per Decanter): dry and mild, with comparatively few heat spikes
• Mid-October: the tail end of Super Typhoon Melor brought torrential rain, and rot and dilution for fruit still hanging, according to Decanter
• Sonoma: Decanter reports the county's Pinot Noir and Chardonnay producers picked before the October rains

Decanter rated California's 2009 vintage 3 out of 5. Its guide says the best wines show the bright aromatics characteristic of an even growing season and supple, generous personalities. In Decanter's read, California's 2009s are in general less ample than the more exuberant 2008s, yet lack the crisp fruit tones of the notably cooler 2010 vintage, and their gentle tannic structures and moderate acidities should make for medium-term longevity. Pinot Noir and Chardonnay are among Sonoma's successes in Decanter's account, alongside the same varieties from Santa Barbara and the Santa Cruz Mountains. Cabernet Sauvignon was more vulnerable to the rain: Decanter says those who opted to wait suffered, so California's 2009 Cabernet Sauvignon crop is more heterogeneous.

• Pinot Noir and Chardonnay: Decanter says Sonoma producers excelled, having picked before the rains in a moderate season
• Cabernet Sauvignon: more vulnerable to the rain statewide; Decanter calls California's 2009 Cabernet Sauvignon crop more heterogeneous
• Style, per Decanter: bright aromatics, supple and generous, less ample than 2008, without the crisp fruit tones of the cooler 2010
• Structure, per Decanter: gentle tannins and moderate acidity pointing to medium-term longevity