2019 Napa Valley Vintage

Water shaped the front half of 2019. Heavy rains in March and April cultivated robust cover crops and organically enriched the soil, and the January-to-May total came in at just over 34 inches, a stark contrast to the 0.61 inches recorded across the same stretch in 2018 and closer to the very wet winter and spring of 2017. Paul Goldberg of Bettinelli Vineyards, then president of the Napa Valley Grapegrowers, described the start of the season as defined by copious rainfall and late soil moisture. Because the rain extended through May, soils were still moist after budburst going into the initial growth spurt, and the vines responded with notable vigor that growers had to manage actively. Budburst for the Bordeaux varieties mainly came in late March and early April. Fruit set ran on course for Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Petit Verdot and Malbec. April rain caused a bit of shatter in Chardonnay clusters during bloom, which growers read as nature's way of thinning rather than a real reduction in crop size. Summer was long and mild. Aside from a brief heat spike in June, the weather stayed moderate and veraison came evenly, and Goldberg noted very few extreme heat events and few extended foggy mornings. The one warm note was significant: Jon Ruel, CEO of Trefethen Family Vineyards, recorded August 2019 as the warmest August since 2003, driven by warmer evenings rather than hotter days, and that lifted night temperatures lowered acidity in the fruit. Harvest began in mid-August with sparkling-wine producers bringing in Pinot Noir, Pinot Grigio and Chardonnay, opening alongside another brief heat spike that growers handled without incident. Two days of light rain in mid-September prompted some to trim canopies and increase airflow around ripening fruit. By October 15, roughly 75 percent of the valley's total winegrapes were in, and by the Napa Valley Vintners release of October 22 harvest was progressing smoothly, with most growers picking Cabernet Sauvignon under mild autumn conditions. Jon Ruel called it another vintage where the grower was in the driver's seat, with the latitude to thin block by block and vine by vine. The mild season produced a bountiful crop, though yields were generally lower than the very large 2018.

• Heavy March and April rains built robust cover crops and enriched soils; January to May recorded just over 34 inches against 0.61 inches in 2018
• Budburst for Bordeaux varieties came in late March and early April, into soils still moist enough to drive notable vine vigor
• April rain caused some Chardonnay shatter at bloom, treated by growers as natural thinning
• A long, mild summer with very few extreme heat events and even veraison, apart from a brief heat spike in June
• August 2019 was the warmest August since 2003 on warmer evenings, which lowered acidity in the grapes
• Harvest opened mid-August with sparkling-wine fruit; about 75 percent of the valley's winegrapes were in by October 15
• Yields came in generally lower than the very large 2018 crop

The back half of the season turned dry and sometimes windy, which raised wildfire risk across the region. The direct consequence for Napa was not fire but electricity. PG&E ran a series of Public Safety Power Shutoffs as a precaution during those conditions, and the outages introduced real problems for wineries in the middle of harvest and fermentation. Some had prepared for exactly this, having bought generators after the 2017 fires.

• Dry, sometimes windy autumn conditions raised wildfire risk during harvest
• PG&E Public Safety Power Shutoffs created power-outage challenges for winemaking
• Some wineries ran on generators purchased after the 2017 fires
• No wildfire smoke exposure to the 2019 Napa crop is reported in the sources consulted

The Wine Independent, reviewing the vintage alongside 2018 and 2020, reads the 2019 reds as generally more generous and weightier than the 2018s, with most falling in the 14.5 to 14.9 percent alcohol range and a good number above 15 percent. Tannins are riper, softer and more approachable than 2018's. The publication attributes that fuller-bodied, slightly higher-alcohol profile to the combination of lower yields than 2018 and slightly more heat. The whites were less consistent. Some 2019 Napa Sauvignon Blanc and Chardonnay are described as occasionally downright dilute, a defect The Wine Independent puts down more to yield and vintage handling on the white side than to the weather itself, while still rating 2017 and 2019 as better vintages than 2018 for Napa whites overall.

• The Wine Independent reads the 2019 reds as more generous and weightier than the 2018s
• Most 2019 reds sit in the 14.5 to 14.9 percent alcohol range, with a good number above 15 percent
• Tannins are riper, softer and more approachable than those of 2018
• Lower yields than 2018 plus slightly more heat are credited for the fuller style
• Some 2019 Napa whites are described as occasionally dilute, though 2017 and 2019 are still rated above 2018 for Napa whites