Here comes the first rain of the season. The radar loop shows a slow eastward progression; most of the motion is southwest to northeast. Forecast total rain accumulations have increased from yesterday’s projections. Dislike.
Here Comes The Rain
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Westwood Winery
by Thomas Pellechia
03 Oct 2011 at 08:44
I haven’t found out how much–afraid to ask–but the Finger Lakes just had four straight days of rather heavy downfall. Delayed my pick up of Gewurztraminer juice.
by John M. Kelly
03 Oct 2011 at 08:46
Thomas – I was thinking of you guys when I saw the storms shaping up out your way. Difficult vintage all around.
by James
03 Oct 2011 at 10:53
It looks like a scythe. John – should one be worried if one has, say, some tight Syrah clusters out there?
by John M. Kelly
03 Oct 2011 at 11:49
James – keep an eye on it. I’d worry a little if I had not put out a preventative fungicide.
by Thomas Pellechia
04 Oct 2011 at 08:13
Preventative fungicide!
Have you given up your demeter???
Incidentally, I concur with your choice of preventative over preventive–the former referring to a noun, the latter to a concept. Right on.
by John M. Kelly
04 Oct 2011 at 08:30
Thomas – Demeter is my muse, not my ruler.
If preventative is the noun shouldn’t I have used “fungicidal” as the adjective?
by Thomas Pellechia
04 Oct 2011 at 11:06
You could have said that, but that would change preventative from an adjective to a noun and fungicide from a noun to an adjective–you might as well make a noun into a voib: “friended” anyone lately?
by John M. Kelly
04 Oct 2011 at 11:41
I think “fungicidal preventative” is perfectly valid. No, I haven’t friended anyone in a few days, but I have fungicided the vineyard.
by Thomas Pellechia
04 Oct 2011 at 13:42
Have you also incentivised your staff???
by John M. Kelly
04 Oct 2011 at 13:58
by Thomas Pellechia
05 Oct 2011 at 12:28
Picked up my Gewurztraminer juice today. I was told that the weather is wreaking havoc and that the Oct 22 date for Riesling is likely to become October 12 to 15.
Even though the sun plans to shine for the next four days, photosynthesis will be hard to come by as daytime temperatures linger between the high 60s to low 70s (there is a rumor that we will reach 80 on Sunday, but one day won’ be enough).
Drought for six weeks in the summer and rain for six weeks in autumn–if not for its timing, you have to love nature for its sense of humor.
by John M. Kelly
06 Oct 2011 at 14:46
We’ve had showers and thunderstorms since the front passed through before dawn Wednesday. It won’t get to 65°F today but at least we have some gusty winds. Ridging expected tomorrow, with a stronger ridge moving in by next Wednesday bringing temps into the 80s and maybe even 90s through the extended forecast. Maybe we’ve caught a break.
by Peter O'Connor
02 Nov 2011 at 09:44
John,
We’ve just finished the 2011 Vintage reports for France (warm and very dry in Bordeaux, btw) and California, and I couldn’t believe Sonoma Coast’s numbers: e.g., Santa Rosa had 1,833 (Winkler-scale) degree days from a long term average of 2,963 (?!?).
http://www.wine-ev.com/vei/usa-california/sonoma/santa-rosa/santarosa2011/
I’ve never seen anything like this before.
by John M. Kelly
02 Nov 2011 at 09:57
That is an amazing number, but certainly fits with observations. I have not talked to anyone who has seen anything like this before. The billion dollar question is – is this a 4-5 standard deviations from the mean event? Or is it the new normal?
I’m hoping to finish harvest tomorrow – a full two weeks earlier than last year (which dragged on due to rain). This year it is not rain driving the picking decision but the likelihood of hard frost after the cold front passes
by Peter O'Connor
02 Nov 2011 at 12:37
John,
Looking back to 1902 (Santa Rosa), there seems to be a slight uptrend (the 1902-2011 average has 2,754 degree days vs. 2,963 (1951-2010)) and two ledges: 1983-1986 and 2008-2011; these two patterns commonly anticipate a major trend reversal.
2011 (1,833 DDs) was the coldest growing season since 1902, followed by 1911 (1,954 DDs), 1986 (2,105), 2010 (2,144) and 1919 (2,189). One standard deviation equals 334 DDs for Santa Rosa.
Good luck with your harvest!
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by 2011 Vintage—Not That Bad! « notes from the winemaker
02 Jan 2012 at 12:28
[...] wild, wonderful 2011 (n.b.—long post ahead). For many the defining event of the vintage was the rain October 3rd-5th. For 72 hours before and 72 hours after that storm, there was not an idle picking [...]