2022 Sonoma Vintage

Decanter's early verdict on 2022 in Sonoma was a warm vintage, though the season started on a dry footing. October 2021 brought California its third-wettest October since 1895, a statewide figure, with above-normal rain across much of Northern California, and January and February then followed with almost no rain at all. January through August 2022 was the driest year to date in 128 years, based on National Integrated Drought Information System data. Spring brought frost in some areas, particularly the Russian River Valley, and cool, erratic, windy conditions during flowering disrupted fruit set, especially on the West Sonoma Coast. The bloom-time frost was expected to reduce yields across the North Bay, and early bud break and bloom set up one of the earliest harvests on record. Through summer the season stayed fairly uneventful, with mild to moderately warm temperatures, until a record-setting September heatwave arrived around Labor Day weekend. Rain followed in mid-September. Harvest began July 29, a record early start, and by October 25 most of the crop was in. The crop was lighter than average across most varieties, with smaller berry and cluster sizes, a result of the drought, spring frost, the heatwave and the mid-September rains.

• Winter: drier than average after a wet October 2021 across much of Northern California; January and February brought almost no rain
• Spring: frost in some areas, particularly the Russian River Valley; windy, erratic flowering caused shatter, especially on the West Sonoma Coast
• Labor Day heatwave: temperatures spiked past 115 degrees F, followed by rain in mid-September
• Harvest: record early start on July 29; about two weeks ahead of a normal year by early September; crop lighter than average

Grower reports gathered in October 2022 from around the county show a varied picture. In Fort Ross-Seaview, quality was exceptional but yields at Hirsch Vineyards were about 50 percent of normal. In the Petaluma Gap, Jackson Family Wines saw tonnages similar to the previous year and 30 percent lower than typical years, most likely due to the drought. Hopkins River Ranch in the Russian River Valley finished harvest on September 17, its earliest finish in 45 years. In Dry Creek Valley, the year brought spring frost, a September heat spell and drought-driven, state-mandated restrictions on irrigation water use, yet winemakers were excited about the quality.

On September 3, a heat wave was forecast for Sonoma County through Thursday, with temperatures expected to climb into the triple digits and many winemakers scrambling to pick before heat and sun damage. At that point the county was about 20 to 25 percent through harvest, roughly two weeks early compared with a normal year. Some growers panic-picked, even at cool-climate sites along the West Sonoma Coast. Strategies varied. Stonestreet, in the Alexander Valley, got everything in before the heat event, while Littorai picked some sites before or through the heatwave and deliberately held others back. Tom Rochioli said of his Russian River Valley vineyards, "It was definitely a year where you had to know your blocks."

• Early September: many Sonoma winemakers rushed to pick ahead of a forecast triple-digit heat wave
• Stonestreet, Alexander Valley: everything picked before the heat event
• Littorai: some sites picked before or through the heatwave, others held back; Ted Lemon said they never saw raisining
• Mid-September rain: a little rain fell on September 18 without affecting quality at Sanchietti Farming

Decanter's Sonoma correspondent Ana Carolina Quintela pushed back on the hot-year label. After tasting hundreds of wines, she found the vintage defined by its density and concentration of flavors and aromas, with impressive balance and often a surprising freshness. The 2023s, by comparison, showed a lighter, more ethereal side, almost the polar opposite of 2022. Her top 10 wines of the vintage included Occidental's Bodega Headlands Cuvee Elizabeth Pinot Noir at 100 points, Littorai The Haven Pinot Noir and Hirsch Raschen Ridge Pinot Noir at 98 points each, and Ridge Lytton Springs from Dry Creek Valley at 96 points. The low yields cost volume: Hirsch Vineyards in Cazadero made only 1,000 cases of its San Andreas Fault Pinot, against a normal figure of around 3,000.

• Style: density, concentration and balance, often with a surprising freshness
• Occidental, Bodega Headlands Cuvee Elizabeth Pinot Noir: 100 points (Decanter top 10)
• Pinot Noir yields fell as much as 55 percent in some vineyards, while Chardonnay managed to dodge the worst of the spring weather