We’re just mid-way through the 2011 grape vintage in Niagara and already it’s been a wild ride with no significant indication of how it will all turn out.
But it sure looked grim around here by the end of June after record rainfall and a generally rotten spring. But as the calendar turned to July, things heated up and it hasn’t stopped since then with record temperatures and dought-like conditions.
Winemakers were worried about the rain, but are now wishing a drop or two would help irrigate their vineyards so the vines don’t start shutting down.
Niagara rarely gets back-to-back hot vintages (see this Vintage Chart I produce for Wine Access every year) but 2011 looks like it’s headed in that direction.
While initially two weeks behind normal conditions in the early part of the summer, and three or four weeks behind the hot 2010 vintage, the vines have caught up and are on track for a good year after a stifling, dry July.
Winemakers will tell you that it’s the weather between Labour Day and Halloween that truly decide the fate of any vintage, but a wet and cool June followed by the same in July cannot be recovered from.
So, the verdict thus far? It’s looking very good indeed for 2011 as long as the warmth continues through the late fall and the rains don’t flood the vineyards later in the summer and fall.
Here’s how the 2010 vintage looks to some notable wine folks around Niagara:
Rob Power, winemaker at Creekside (Jordan, St. Davids Bench)
I don’t think that wet spring hurt us much.
Everyone I talked to before I went on vacation a few weeks ago seemed to think we were more or less on a normal schedule.
This heat wave and drought may have actually put us back a bit; the plants may be shutting down in a defensive posture.
We’ll have a reliable timing benchmark when veraison hits in the next few weeks.
But, as always, it’ll be the weather in between Labour Day and Halloween that really calls the tune.
Jeff Aubrey, proprietor, Coyote’s Run (St. Davids Bench)
The wet spring pushed bud break outside of the frost window – that was good. It also supercharged the ground with moisture – if you are on clay (like we are) then that has been a real boon during this drought. The guys on sandy soil are irrigating.
The hot dry June/July has been wonderful – reminiscent of 07. If the weather continues into Sept, then we are looking at another 2007-like year, which was quite a good vintage. But September is the key. Every vintage is made or broken in September.
Right now, if things keep going as they have been, the Bordeaux varieties and other heat loving reds like Syrah or (god help you) Nebbiolo will be awesome. The Pinots, well it depends on your tastes. I loved our 07s (as did many folks) but purists don’t like the hot vintages for Pinot.
The whites will likely follow the 07s as well. That means big fat Chards (with little cellar life), rich luscious Pinot Gris, and a lot of less than awesome aromatic varieties. Gewurz may buck the trend, as it did in 10.
Regardless, if the hot dry conditions continue, everything will be very concentrated. That’s always good.
Paul Speck, proprietor, Henry of Pelham (Short Hills Bench)
The season started off slow maybe 7-10 days behind. We have caught up to what would be considered a “normal” year like 2004. With this heat, depending on how long it goes we could move into a year like 2007 but it is too early to tell. Good sized crop on the vines so we need some rain within the next 10 days or so or the vines will start to get draught stress. All in all great news.
Craig McDonald, senior winemaker, Hillebrand (Niagara-on-the-Lake)
My thoughts are that we had enough water reserves from the spring and above average heat in June and July to put us right on the heels of 2010. With the excess heat coinciding with bunch formation it ensures average to below average bunch weights — which could mean another stellar year for quality. Vineyard crews are working hard with final leaf pulling and expect to see nets appearing in 2-3 weeks. I’m pretty jazzed to see such potential from 2011 given the tough winter and now it’s down to business!
Michele Bosc, director of marketing, Chateau des Charmes (St. Davids)
It was a mild winter so we were able to spur prune everywhere and start reasonably early. The spring was long, cold and wet (no kidding) so the vineyards were running 2-3 weeks behind in the growing season. However, by July we were running a week or so ahead. Our rule of thumb is to have the canopy hit the top wire by
July 1 in order to be “OK”. This year we were above the top wire by July 1. The heat and lack of rain now is terrific, provided you have managed your vineyard well. This means aggressive canopy management so the products of photosynthesis go to the grapes and not overly long vine canes. We are now adding manure to guard against stress but there are no signs of it for us. Everything is lush and green and growing well. I won’t venture a guess as to the final outcome. That would just jinx us.
Sebastien Jacquey, winemaker for Le Clos Jordanne (Pinot Noir, Chardonnay)
My mid season report would tend to say that the slow rainy start of May was not that bad and has allowed the vines to still break bud on time (around mid May). However, the hot weather which followed allowed an impressive start of the vegetative growing cycle of the vineyard.
We had a bit less than a month between bud break and bloom and around 2.5 weeks between bloom and bunch closure. So far, except for some downy mildew pressure and some leafhopper, our vineyards are looking healthy and even on vigour. The fruit set up has been better on Pinot than Chardonnay and I’m expecting to have a crop quite normal in terms of quantities. Bunches of pinot are looking quite small and compact which is the opposite of the Chard clusters, which are looking quite loose so far.
After bloom my harvest date expectation was around the beginning of October but after these few week of hot temperatures, we have caught up quite well and I will now schedule the harvest kick off more around September 20 to 25.
Should we except a second hot vintage in a row? That question can’t be answered right now as it completely depends on the humidity and heat that we will have after véraison. That will be the key factor to see if we can hold our crop in the vineyard until the desired ripening time. In our case, we will likely have a drier ripening time with moderate heat and cool nights rather than a humid one in order to minimize the disease pressure and optimize the phenolic ripeness in Pinot Noir.
As for the expected date of harvest , the numbers say that we are looking to be in the average of the last 5 years in terms of picking date and GDD. However, my feeling is it will go towards a cooler vintage than last year according to the late start and the way how the vineyard looks right now (but not as cool as 2009).
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