2018 Washington State Vintage

The Columbia Valley cycled through cool and warm months at the start of the 2018 growing season. April was cool, which delayed budbreak slightly. May then came in as one of the warmest on record and advanced bloom, and June turned cooler than average. Bloom itself was the season's most consequential event: it was notably fast and even, which contributed to a larger crop size that required extensive thinning. In some cases, particularly for Merlot in some locations, berry size and cluster size ran larger than normal. Summer was hot and dry. Across Washington and Oregon the summer was hot and dry, with drifting smoke from wildfires burning in other regions; no specific Washington smoke-taint damage was recorded. The turn came just before Labor Day, when a brief rain shower moved through the state and brought a breath of cooler air that lasted through much of September and October. Those timely rains and cooler early-fall temperatures led to slower ripening, which allowed more time for mature flavor development and let white grapes retain freshness and acidity. The harvest season overall was marked by ideal weather. No harvest start or end dates and no tonnage figure for the 2018 Washington crop were located in the sources consulted, so none are given here.

• April cool, delaying budbreak slightly; May one of the warmest on record, advancing bloom; June cooler than average
• Bloom was fast and even, building a larger crop that required extensive thinning
• Berry and cluster size were larger than normal in some cases, particularly Merlot in some locations
• Hot, dry summer with drifting smoke from wildfires in other regions
• A brief rain shower just before Labor Day brought cooler air through much of September and October
• No harvest dates or 2018 tonnage figure were located in the sources consulted

The defining vineyard decision of 2018 was made early. Because bloom was so fast and so even, fruit set was uniform and heavy, and the resulting crop size required extensive thinning. The size issue was not only cluster count. In some locations, particularly for Merlot, berries and clusters themselves ran larger than normal, which puts more juice behind the same amount of skin. Growers who dropped fruit were managing that arithmetic rather than fighting weather.

• Fast, even bloom produced uniform fruit set and a larger crop
• Extensive thinning was required across the state
• Larger-than-normal berry and cluster size showed up in some locations, particularly Merlot
• Crop management, not weather damage, was the season's main vineyard demand

The contemporary read on 2018 was straightforward. The Washington State Wine Commission characterized it as another warm vintage for Washington that was marked by ideal weather during the harvest season. Wine Spectator's harvest report found Washington and Oregon vintners pleased despite a hot summer, crediting timely rains and cooler fall temperatures for balanced wines. The mechanism both point to is the same: the September and October cooling slowed ripening enough that flavors had time to mature and white grapes held their freshness and acidity. Neither source consulted offered drinking windows or cellaring guidance, so none are given here.

• The commission: another warm vintage marked by ideal weather during the harvest season
• Wine Spectator: Washington and Oregon vintners pleased despite a hot summer
• Slower ripening in the cool fall gave more time for mature flavor development
• White grapes retained freshness and acidity through the cooler finish
• No drinking windows were offered by the sources consulted