2014 Napa Valley Vintage

The 2013 to 2014 winter was one of the driest on record in California, and Napa Valley rainfall was approximately half of normal. What saved the season was timing. Heavy rains fell in late February and early March, giving the vines a needed drink of water as they came out of dormancy and were about to begin bud break. The spring that followed was warm, and the mild winter and spring caused early bud break even though the overall length of the growing season ended up similar to past years. The warmth had a second benefit that rarely makes headlines: growers could save water for irrigation instead of spending it on frost protection. From there the year simply behaved. Rebekah Wineburg, winemaker at Quintessa, recalled 2014 as a drought year not troubled by extreme weather, hot, cold or wet, and specifically remembered waiting for the late-summer heat wave that often comes in Napa and finding that it never arrived. September brought moderate temperatures with only minimal rain, which allowed for even ripening. Wineburg also remembered one modest rain that refreshed the vines just before harvest. Drought conditions were credited with producing typically smaller berries with more concentrated flavors, which NVV reported many winemakers believed contributed to the year's quality.

• One of the driest California winters on record, with Napa rainfall at roughly half of normal
• Heavy late-February and early-March rains landed just as vines emerged from dormancy ahead of bud break
• A warm spring brought early bud break and let growers conserve water rather than use it for frost protection
• Quintessa's Rebekah Wineburg recalled no extreme weather all season, and the late-summer heat wave Napa often gets never arrived
• Moderate temperatures and only minimal September rain allowed even ripening
• Drought produced smaller berries with more concentrated flavors, which many winemakers credited for the year's quality

At 3:20 in the morning on August 24, 2014, a magnitude 6.0 earthquake struck south Napa County, just as crush was getting underway. The damage was real but it was structural, not agricultural. The earthquake did not damage grapevines or fruit on the vine. For some wineries it interrupted harvest for a day or two and required equipment repair or replacement, but winemakers at even the most quake-damaged wineries proceeded with harvest as usual. That is the whole of what is documented. The quake sits in the 2014 story as a logistical shock absorbed by the cellars rather than a viticultural event that shaped the wines.

• A magnitude 6.0 earthquake hit south Napa County at 3:20 a.m. on August 24, 2014, as crush was getting underway
• No damage to grapevines or to fruit on the vine
• Some wineries lost a day or two of harvest and needed equipment repaired or replaced
• Winemakers at even the most quake-damaged wineries proceeded with harvest as usual

The first grapes for sparkling wine came off on July 30, and some wineries harvested aromatic whites like Sauvignon Blanc and Riesling in early August. For most vintners and growers, though, harvest did not kick into high gear for other varieties until the third week of August. The early start needs perspective: a late-July or early-August start was earlier than average but not the earliest in recent years, with the first sparkling-wine grapes harvested July 23 in 1997 and July 26 in 2004. The finish was fast. Nearly all harvest activity was complete by the third week of October, for many a full two weeks ahead of the normal schedule. Glenn Andrade, vice president of winemaking at Trinchero Family Estates, which farms more than 10,000 acres across Napa, Sonoma and other counties, said Trinchero was about 80 percent done going into the second week of October. On volume, most vintners and growers had greater-than-average quantities in general, though yields varied by location and variety. It was a run: 2012 broke Napa Valley yield records, 2013 was not far behind, and 2014 looked to be a third abundant harvest in a row, with no records expected to fall. Statewide, the USDA's August 2014 Pacific Regional Crop Production Report forecast California winegrape production at 3.9 million tons, down 8 percent from 2013's record high and still the third-largest harvest on record. NVV members summarized the year in single words including early, excellent, quality, exciting, fantastic, beautiful, demanding but fruitful, and another great year.

• First sparkling-wine grapes picked July 30, with aromatic whites following in early August
• Harvest did not reach high gear for other varieties until the third week of August
• Earlier starts on record came July 23 in 1997 and July 26 in 2004
• Nearly all harvest was finished by the third week of October, two weeks early for many
• Trinchero Family Estates was roughly 80 percent done going into the second week of October
• Most growers had greater-than-average quantities, a third abundant harvest in a row after 2012 and 2013
• USDA forecast California winegrape production at 3.9 million tons, down 8 percent from 2013's record and the third largest on record