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October 2001

It's Harvest Time in Oregon! What will the 2001 Vintage Bring?

by Cole Danehower

There's a slight chill in the morning air, long shadows finger their way down the vine rows, and outside the vineyard yellow billowy maple leaves float across the rural roads . . . it is Autumn . . . it is harvest time in Oregon's wine country.

Oregon's Harvest

If you are only familiar with California wines, this may come as a surprise to you. After all, many California varietals have been harvested since August. It is surprising to many, but being only one state further north gives Oregon a significantly different growing season than California. And in the Willamette Valley, the heart of Oregon's Pinot noir country, its location along the 45th parallel (roughly the same as Burgundy) means the region harvests 3-4 weeks after California.

This year's harvest is beginning (or began, depending on when you read this), generally at the end of September. By the middle of September some Oregon wineries had already received their first fruit: Syrah from Southern Oregon or vineyards in Washington and Oregon's Walla Walla and Columbia regions.

For instance, Ken Wright Cellars, one of the most respected Pinot noir producers in the state, had crushed and was ready to ferment small quantities of Syrah by September 20. Similarly, Domaine Serene at that time was well along in their Syrah fermentation. But, these are generally sideline grapes for Willamette Valley vintners; by the last week of September, most Pinot noir wineries were beginning to receive their first Pinot noir fruit of the 2001 vintage.

Harvesting on the Edge

Unlike winemakers in California, Oregon producers tend to be a nervous bunch around harvest time. You see, Oregon's northerly location means that it is at the edge of the climate for growing varietals like Pinot noir. So, just as the grapes are reaching their optimal ripeness, the weather is starting to change. In some years, the difference between a great crop and a mediocre one might be the change in weather on a single day.

Harvesting the best fruit is always a variable enterprise, with each winemaker using their own experience and judgment to decide just when to pick. And when the weather can change on a dime, all of that experience can go to nought, turning what the winemaker thought was "great hang time" into "soaked, diluted grapes."

"In 2000 it started raining on October 9," recalls Ken Wright, "and we had finished picking our last grapes on October 8!" Imagine if he had delayed harvesting by even a few days!

The 2001 Vintage: Promise and Problem

As I write this, it is still unclear just what kind of a vintage it will be. Most wineries are still a few days away from picking their grapes, and so far the weather continues to be sunny and reasonably warm. If it changes within the next 7-10 days, it could turn a promising vintage into a poor one . . . or, if it stays warm and bright, it could produce another great year for Oregon wine.

There is one problem to the Pinot noir vintage, however, that weather at harvest time won't solve.

In early August, temperatures in the Willamette Valley suddenly spiked upward, with highs above 100 degrees Fahrenheit. Though they didn't stay that high for long, it did cause damage to the grapes that many winemakers had never seen before. By some estimates, 20-50% of the Pinot noir grapes ended up becoming shriveled and desiccated due to the high heat . . . an unprecedented development. One winemaker told the Oregon Wine Report that "in 23 years of making wine I've never seen this before!"

So is this a disaster for the vintage? Not necessarily. Grapes that were not affected by the abnormal heat seem to be in excellent condition. But the challenge for winemakers will be finding ways to exclude the affected berries from the final fruit they use to make their wine. Likely, this will mean a tremendous emphasis on hand-sorting, careful picking, and a smaller effective crop of usable grapes. But, those grapes look to be as fine as anything we've seen in the last few years.

Like so many other Oregon vintages, 2001 presents winemakers with a unique set of variables. And like all vintages, there will be no single description of the vintage that will apply to all the wines. Depending on where the grapes come from and how carefully the winemakers approach their task, there is every reason to believe that 2001 will provide consumers with great wines . . . on a par with the best from the last three of Oregon's great vintages!

Come See the Harvest for Yourself!

Many people are understandably reluctant to travel right now, but a pleasant car trip to the Oregon wine country may be just what the doctor ordered for those of us upset by recent events.

Many Oregon wineries welcome "amateur" help during harvest time. Call ahead and ask if you can pitch in and sort grapes (and take a direct role in improving that quality of the vintage!), haul totes, or simply lend a hand during the harvest. It can be a great way to get closer to the wines you love.

And, for more reports on the Oregon harvest, check back soon, since I'll be updating this as we know more about Vintage 2001!

Celebrate!

It's Cole's 1st Anniversary as a columnist on Avalon Wine!