2023 Sonoma Vintage

The year began with a winter and spring of above-average rainfall and below-average temperatures, and that slow start delayed harvest well past the early-August norm of the previous few drought-impacted years. The January storms were dramatic: vineyards were swallowed by floodwater, with 5 inches of rain in 72 hours at Emeritus Vineyards in Sebastopol. Because the vines were dormant, the flooding did not damage the vineyards or overall vine health; the main concerns were soil erosion, eutypa dieback from pruning in wet weather, and waterlogged roots. The rain also refilled reservoirs and ponds after three to four years of drought. A very cool spring pushed back bloom dates, and at Peter Michael soil water plus cooler weather delayed bud break by a month. A mild spring and summer allowed ample hang time, and a few late-summer heat spikes are thought to have made the vintage, in the view of Steve Sangiacomo of Sangiacomo Family Vineyards. Harvest began August 24, cooler weather continued once picking started, and the season ran into the early weeks of November, when cool nights brought frost concerns.

• Winter and spring: above-average rainfall and below-average temperatures gave the season a slow start
• January flooding hit vineyards while vines were dormant, with no damage to vine health; the rain refilled reservoirs after three to four years of drought
• Mild spring and summer with a few late-summer heat spikes; a warm spell in October let fruit fully mature
• Harvest ran from August 24 into the early weeks of November, and Dutton Ranch picked more tons than it ever had

The Winegrowers' harvest roundtable gave grower-by-grower dates that show just how long the picking season ran. Redwood Empire Vineyard Management started August 24 and finished November 13. Sangiacomo Family Vineyards picked from August 29 to November 1, four months of harvest. Dutton Ranch ran from September 1 to November 8, and Bevill Vineyard Management made its first pick on September 4 and finished November 4. During the last two weeks, many nights across west county ranches meant picking grapes and frost protecting at the same time. Matt Vogensen of Bevill Vineyard Management put the quality case simply: "I think anytime there's not a weather event that forces the grapes to be picked, you're automatically going to have a higher quality year."

• Redwood Empire Vineyard Management: August 24 to November 13
• Sangiacomo Family Vineyards: August 29 to November 1
• Dutton Ranch: September 1 to November 8, a record tonnage for the ranch
• Bevill Vineyard Management: September 4 to November 4

JamesSuckling.com's report on 831 Sonoma County chardonnays and pinot noirs, mostly from 2023, said the early-year atmospheric rivers laid the foundation for an outstanding vintage for both grapes. The Pacific's cooling influence was amplified in 2023. Rain drenched the entire North Coast, but spring played out differently by distance from the ocean. On the far coast, Flowers' Camp Meeting Ridge and Sea View Ridge vineyards sat in fog for all of June and saw rain during flowering, which affected yields, and Flowers picked a full month later than average. Inland in the Russian River Valley, the gravelly, well-drained soils drained faster and warmed faster than on the coast, bringing earlier bud break. Littorai founder Ted Lemon picked pinot noir in November for the first time in a 43-year career, and described the chardonnays as having "great finesse and purity." Kistler's Jason Kesner called the site differentiation in chardonnay the best he had ever seen.

• Alcohol: the 2023 wines were often a full one percent lower than the 2022 vintage
• Coast versus river valley: fog and rain at flowering on the far coast, earlier bud break on the Russian River Valley's gravelly soils
• Sonoma Valley and Carneros: Anne Moller-Racke of Blue Farm noted large berry size yet beautiful concentration in the wines
• JamesSuckling.com named the RAEN Pinot Noir Sonoma County Sonoma Coast Royal St. Robert 2023 its American Wine of the Year for 2025