2014 Washington State Vintage

Washington came into 2014 dry. The Washington State Wine Commission notes a dry winter to start the season, with some areas receiving as little as half of their average annual precipitation. Warmth did the rest. The heat through the growing season advanced most phenological markers, with bud break, bloom and veraison each running roughly 10 to 14 days ahead of historical averages. For the first few months, heat accumulation tracked fairly closely to 2013, the year that had just reset expectations, before pulling well ahead in July and August. This was Washington's second consecutive warm growing season, and for growers in many areas it was their warmest vintage on record. July and August brought record temperatures in some locations, and Washington State University logged the warmest July on record in Prosser, in the Yakima Valley. The warmth did not stop there either. It carried all the way into mid October. What made 2014 an easy year rather than a punishing one was the shape of the finish. Harvest saw no rain and no early freezes, with cool nighttime temperatures and no heat spikes late in the season. Picking was mostly wrapped by Halloween, about two weeks ahead of the usual pace. Washington harvested 227,000 tons, up 8 percent over 2013's 210,000 tons, with grape production continuing to expand.

• A dry winter opened the season, some areas receiving as little as half their average annual precipitation
• Bud break, bloom and veraison each ran approximately 10 to 14 days ahead of historical averages
• Heat accumulation tracked close to 2013 early on, then pulled well ahead in July and August
• WSU recorded the warmest July on record in Prosser; warm temperatures continued into mid October
• Harvest brought no rain, no early freezes, cool nights and no late heat spikes
• Harvest was mostly complete by Halloween, about two weeks ahead of the usual pace
• Washington harvested 227,000 tons, up 8 percent on 2013

The Commission's stylistic read on 2014 comes down to what did not happen at the end of the season. With no heat spikes and cool nighttime temperatures through harvest, the acidity balances in the young 2014 wines looked to be ideal. In a year that was the warmest on record for growers in many parts of the state, that is the detail that separates it from a simple heat vintage.

• No late heat spikes and cool nights through harvest
• The Commission described acidity balances in the young 2014 wines as looking ideal
• The clean finish, with no rain and no early freezes, gave growers a stress-free run to the end
• 2014 was the second warm year in a row, following 2013