Below is a look at what was picked, when, and where in Washington during October. Many growers and winemakers wrapped up harvest this year between the middle and end of October, although some did pick into November.
The hallmark of this harvest season was certainly the cool down that took place in September and October, where heat accumulation more or less flatlined. This is well shown in the chart of Growing Degree Days (GDD), a measure of heat accumulation, from Washington State University. This allowed picking to occur at a measured pace.
Winemaker Trey Busch of Sleight of Hand Cellars in the Walla Walla Valley sent along the following table of pick dates over the last three years. For perspective, 2015 was a hot year (again, see the GDD chart above). 2016 had an extremely warm start but then more of a normal(ish) final few months. 2017 had above average heat accumulation during the height of the summer but then cooled down considerably in September and October. Here are Busch’s notes:
Block: | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 |
French Creek Chardonnay | 8/19/15 | 8/19/16 | 9/8/17 |
Red Mountain Vineyard Merlot | 9/4/15 | 9/7/16 | 9/26/17 |
Seven Hills Block 33 Merlot | 9/9/15 | 9/12/16 | 9/16/17 |
Red Mountain Vineyard Block D CS | 9/10/15 | 9/28/16 | 10/8/17 |
Les Collines Block 50 Syrah | 9/7/15 | 9/24/16 | 9/23/17 |
Phinny Hill “Elene’s Block” CS Clone 8 | 9/22/15 | 9/30/16 | 10/14/17 |
Lewis Syrah | 9/30/15 | 10/7/16 | 10/19/17 |
Blue Mountain Vineyard CS | 9/23/15 | 10/3/16 | 10/4/17 |
Blue Mountain Vineyard Block 1 CF | 9/24/15 | 10/1/16 | 10/11/17 |
CS = Cabernet Sauvignon CF = Cabernet Franc |
As you can see, there is variability in the pick dates across years. While some of the 2017 dates line up with 2016, most are 10-14 days (or more) later.
I’ll post additional thoughts on the growing season in a subsequent harvest report.
***
See information on the Washington State Growing Degree Days here.
See monthly forecast for Yakima Valley (Sunnyside), Red Mountain (Benton City), Walla Walla, Paterson, and Mattawa.
***
The information in the table below is aggregated from personal correspondence with growers and winemakers, as well as information posted on Twitter and Facebook. It is not intended to be comprehensive but rather is intended as a snapshot of what is going on around the state. If you wish to send data for your grapes or vineyards (or correct any of the information below), please email me at wawinereport@gmail.com, leave a comment here, or leave a comment on the WWR Facebook page.
Winery
|
Grape
|
Vineyard
|
Date
|
Notes
|
Columbia Valley
|
||||
Hedges
|
Cabernet Sauv
|
Sagemoor
|
10/4
|
|
Rocky Pond
|
Merlot
|
Double D
|
10/5
|
|
Succession
|
Sauv Blanc
|
Double D
|
10/5
|
|
Lodmell
|
Syrah
|
Estate
|
10/6
|
|
Baer
|
Cabernet Franc
|
Stillwater
|
10/7
|
|
Rasa
|
Riesling
|
Bacchus/
Dionysus
|
10/7
|
|
Gordon
|
Alicante Boushchet
|
Estate
|
10/10
|
|
Lodmell
|
Cabernet Sauv
|
Estate
|
10/11
|
|
Lawrence
|
Cabernet Sauv
|
Solaksen
|
10/14
|
Clone 4
|
Lawrence
|
Malbec
|
Solaksen
|
10/14
|
|
Baer
|
Petit Verdot
|
Stillwater
|
10/17
|
Final grapes of season
|
Tempus
|
Cabernet Sauv
|
Bacchus
|
10/18
|
|
—
|
Cabernet Sauv
|
Solaksen
|
10/20
|
Clone 191
|
Kitzke
|
Petit Verdot
|
Candy Mt
|
10/20
|
|
Kitzke
|
Sangiovese
|
Candy Mt
|
10/20
|
|
—
|
Grenache
|
Double D
|
10/26
|
|
Gordon Estate
|
Cabernet Sauv
|
Estate
|
10/30
|
Last pick
|
—
|
Cabernet Sauv
|
Double D
|
11/1
|
Last fruit will be 11/2
|
Yakima Valley
|
||||
Eight Bells
|
Cabernet Sauv
|
Red Willow
|
10/4
|
|
Sparkman
|
Syrah
|
Olsen
|
10/6
|
2012 plantings
|
—
|
Cabernet Franc
|
DuBrul
|
10/6
|
For rosé
|
Co Dinn
|
Grenache
|
Lonesome Spr
|
10/17
|
|
Co Dinn
|
Syrah
|
Lonesome Spr
|
10/17
|
|
Co Dinn
|
Mourvedre
|
Lonesome Spr
|
10/17
|
|
—
|
Grenache
|
Boushey
|
10/18
|
|
—
|
Mourvedre
|
Boushey
|
10/18
|
|
Kevin White
|
Mourvedre
|
Boushey
|
10/19
|
|
Rattlesnake Hills
|
||||
Cote Bonneville
|
Cabernet Sauv
|
DuBrul
|
10/10
|
|
Co Dinn
|
Cabernet Franc
|
Elephant Mt
|
10/11
|
|
Co Dinn
|
Petit Verdot
|
Elephant Mt
|
10/11
|
|
Convergence Zone
|
Cabernet Franc
|
Dineen
|
10/12
|
|
Pearl & Stone
|
Mourvedre
|
Sugarload
|
10/14
|
|
Cote Bonneville
|
Cabernet Sauv
|
DuBrul
|
10/16
|
For Carriage House
|
Kevin White
|
Cabernet Sauv
|
DuBrul
|
10/18
|
Last fruit
|
—
|
Cabernet Sauv
|
DuBrul
|
10/23
|
|
—
|
Cabernet Sauv
|
DuBrul
|
10/26
|
Last day of harvest
|
Snipes Mountain
|
||||
Orr
|
Chenin Blanc
|
Upland
|
10/9
|
|
Red Mountain
|
||||
EFESTE
|
Syrah
|
Ciel du Cheval
|
10/4
|
For Ceidleigh
|
Fidelitas
|
Cabernet Sauv
|
Estate
|
10/4
|
|
Robert Ramsay
|
Counoise
|
Red Heaven
|
10/4
|
|
Convergence Zone
|
Grenache
|
Ciel du Cheval
|
10/6
|
|
Auclair
|
Cabernet Franc
|
Ciel du Cheval
|
10/7
|
|
Ancestry
|
Cabernet Sauv
|
Redpath
|
10/13
|
|
Auclair
|
Cabernet Sauv
|
Kiona
|
10/15
|
1976 block
|
Auclair
|
Cabernet Sauv
|
Heart of Hill
|
10/15
|
|
Hard Row
|
Cabernet Sauv
|
Heat of Hill
|
10/23
|
|
L’Ecole No. 41
|
Cabernet Sauv
|
Klipsun
|
10/23
|
Last fruit of harvest. 46 days after the start.
|
Auclair
|
Cabernet Sauv
|
Artz
|
10/23
|
Last fruit
|
Hard Row
|
Grenache
|
Red Heaven
|
11/1
|
|
Hard Row
|
Syrah
|
Red Heaven
|
11/1
|
|
Hard Row
|
Mourvedre
|
Red Heaven
|
11/1
|
|
Patterson
|
Touriga Nacional
|
Red Heaven
|
11/12
|
Last fruit of year
|
Patterson
|
Tempranillo
|
Red Heaven
|
11/12
|
|
Walla Walla Valley
|
||||
Tertulia
|
Cabernet Sauv
|
Riviere Galet
|
10/4
|
|
Golden Ridge
|
Merlot
|
Estate
|
10/4
|
|
Abeja
|
Syrah
|
Mill Creek
|
10/6
|
|
Kontos
|
Cabernet Sauv
|
Seven Hills
|
10/6
|
|
Laelaps
|
Cabernet Sauv
|
Seven Hills
|
10/7
|
|
Tertulia
|
Cabernet Franc
|
Elevation
|
10/9
|
|
Lagana
|
Carmenere
|
Seven Hills
|
10/9
|
|
Basel Cellars
|
Syrah
|
Double River
|
10/10
|
|
Gifford Hirlinger
|
Merlot
|
Estate
|
10/10
|
|
Tertulia
|
Grenache
|
Riviere Galets
|
10/11
|
|
College Cellars
|
Cabernet Sauv
|
Stan Clarke
|
10/12
|
|
Dusted Valley
|
Cabernet Franc
|
Sconni Block
|
10/14
|
|
Tertulia
|
Cabernet Sauv
|
Elevation
|
10/16
|
|
Sleight of Hand
|
Grenache
|
Elevation
|
10/16
|
|
Tertulia
|
Grenache
|
Riviere Galets
|
10/17
|
|
Abeja
|
Cabernet Franc
|
Heather Hill
|
10/19
|
|
Dusted Valley
|
Cabernet Sauv
|
Southwind
|
10/29
|
|
Gifford Hirlinger
|
Petit Verdot
|
Estate
|
10/31
|
Last fruit
|
Long Shadows
|
Sangiovese
|
Pepper Bridge
|
10/31
|
Last pick
|
Wahluke Slope
|
||||
Longship
|
Cabernet Sauv
|
Northridge
|
10/31
|
Last fruit
|
Horse Heaven Hills
|
||||
Sleight of Hand
|
Cabernet Franc
|
Phinny Hill
|
10/13
|
Elene’s block
|
Hard Row
|
Syrah
|
Destiny Ridge
|
10/16
|
|
Ste. Michelle
|
Cabernet Franc
|
Canoe Ridge
|
10/16
|
|
Alexandria Nicole
|
Cabernet Sauv
|
Destiny Ridge
|
10/19
|
Block 5
|
Eternal
|
Cabernet Sauv
|
Discovery
|
10/24
|
|
Columbia Gorge
|
||||
Dowsett
|
Gewurz
|
Celilo
|
10/10
|
|
Lake Chelan
|
||||
Hard Row
|
Viognier
|
Jon Wadkins
|
10/4
|
|
—
|
Riesling
|
Clos CheValle
|
10/4
|
|
Hard Row
|
Pinot Noir
|
Clos CheValle
|
10/9
|
|
Rocky Pond
|
Riesling
|
Clos CheValle
|
10/9
|
|
Rocky Pond
|
Syrah
|
Clos CheValle
|
10/11
|
|
Vin du Lac
|
Pinot Noir
|
Clos CheValle
|
10/13
|
|
—
|
Syrah
|
Double D
|
10/15
|
|
—
|
Malbec
|
Double D
|
10/18
|
|
Hard Row
|
Roussanne
|
Robin’s
|
10/18
|
|
Hard Row
|
Marsanne
|
Robin’s
|
10/18
|
|
Radiance
|
Riesling
|
Clos CheValle
|
10/25
|
|
Hard Row
|
Cabernet Franc
|
Glacier Gravels
|
10/28
|
|
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