2021 Napa Valley Vintage

Rain came in January and February and then essentially stopped. Almost no notable precipitation fell across the rest of the 2021 growing season, and that dry pattern gave the vines an ideal environment to flower, bloom and set in early spring. It was Napa's second consecutive drought year, and the effect ran straight through to the crop: yields were naturally low, which meant growers had less pruning and fruit dropping to do. Bud break arrived early, in April, with flowering and bloom in May. Summer brought early and even ripening throughout the valley with no concerning heat spikes. In St. Helena, Cathy Corison of Corison Winery credited a cool August for great flavor development and firm natural acidity, followed by a moderate heat spike in early September that sped everything up. At Kapcsandy Family Winery in Yountville, the note was pyrazines fading under summer's last flash of moderate heat. The picking calendar moved forward with everything else. White-grape harvest opened on July 30 with Sauvignon Blanc and red grapes began on August 31, one of the earliest starts to harvest on record, and the season finished several weeks earlier than typical. Spottswoode brought in the last Cabernet Sauvignon from its estate vineyard in the first week of October. Honig's Cabernet harvest was around 75 percent complete by October 11. Volker Eisele Family Estate in the Chiles Valley District reported some of the earliest Cabernet picking on record, Corison finished its estate Kronos Vineyard the week before the appellation report, and Hyde Vineyards in Carneros had finished Chardonnay and Pinot Noir with about two weeks of Syrah and Merlot still to go. Weather stayed out of the way to the end. A small threat of rain amounted to only a gentle mist on parts of Howell Mountain during harvest, and a late-October storm brought the Bay Area much-needed rain right as the last grapes came in, raising hopes for a wet winter ahead.

• January and February rain, then almost no notable precipitation for the rest of the season, in Napa's second consecutive drought year
• Early April bud break, flowering and bloom in May, and an ideal dry environment for flowering and fruit set
• Early, even summer ripening with no concerning heat spikes; a cool August built flavor and acidity before a moderate early-September heat spike
• White-grape harvest began July 30 with Sauvignon Blanc and reds began August 31, one of the earliest starts on record
• Harvest ended several weeks earlier than typical, with Spottswoode finishing its estate Cabernet in the first week of October
• A late-October storm brought rain to the Bay Area just as the last grapes came in

Drought set the ceiling on the crop, and growers reported the shortfall in wide-ranging numbers. Spottswoode expected yields across its estate vineyard around 25 to 30 percent below average, while some other vineyards it works with saw drops to the tune of 85 percent. Honig's Sauvignon Blanc came in down around 30 percent, with Cabernet Sauvignon expected around 10 to 15 percent smaller than a typical year. Oakville Ranch Vineyards reported initial Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc yields down 15 to 20 percent, and Alpha Omega's Cordes Vineyard was down about 25 percent. In Carneros, Hyde Vineyards recorded the lowest yields on record for both Chardonnay and Pinot Noir. Corison put its own shortfall down to scant rainfall plus cold, rainy weather during the prior spring's bloom. The variation between neighbors was striking. On Diamond Mountain, Andrew Geoffrey Vineyard reported yields down 35 to 40 percent while Mueller Family reported a fairly normal yield. What the valley agreed on was the character of what did come in: low yields with intensely flavored, small-sized berries.

• Spottswoode expected 25 to 30 percent below average on its estate, with drops up to 85 percent at some vineyards it works with
• Honig's Sauvignon Blanc was down around 30 percent and its Cabernet Sauvignon expected 10 to 15 percent smaller than typical
• Hyde Vineyards in Carneros recorded the lowest Chardonnay and Pinot Noir yields on its record
• Diamond Mountain showed the spread of the year: Andrew Geoffrey down 35 to 40 percent, Mueller Family fairly normal
• The vintage is remembered for low yields of small, intensely flavored berries

For the first autumn in four years, Napa was not picking through smoke. The valley avoided a major fire in 2021, and the relief in the reporting from that October is unmistakable. Spottswoode CEO Beth Novak Milliken described it as a reprieve from the fires that had been part of the valley's fall life for the previous four years, and said the estate had been fortunate, with very little smoke and no fire. The harvest itself ran smooth and uneventful. Winemaker Andy Erickson of Favia summed up the mood: the joy was back, and it was a really great harvest that was not rushed.

• Napa avoided a major fire in 2021, the first such autumn in four years
• Spottswoode reported very little smoke and no fire at its estate
• The harvest season itself is described as smooth and uneventful
• Andy Erickson of Favia called it a really great harvest that was not rushed