Sonoma, Anderson Valley and Beyond: New Releases

The buzz in Sonoma, Anderson Valley and the neighboring appellations is palpable. Once again, I came away from my tastings energized by the sheer number of compelling wines coming out of these regions. Best of all, prices remain exceedingly fair within the context of today’s market.

2014 Griffin's Lair Syrah at Arnot-Roberts

The 2013 Growing Season

Two thousand thirteen was the second year of the current drought cycle in California. I remember tasting with Paul Hobbs in early January. Even then, Hobbs was deeply concerned and was contemplating starting irrigation immediately, which is pretty much unheard of. The year got off to a quick start and progressed at an equally rapid pace, leading up to a very early and condensed harvest that started in mid-August. Even though conditions were warm, they were also even throughout the year. Vines, like people, don’t like sudden changes. With the exception of an unexpected rain in June, there were few, if any, real weather shocks throughout the year. Perhaps for that reason, most grape varieties achieved full maturity while retaining considerable acidity, something that is quite unusual for an early year. Overall, yields were high, more or less similar to 2012, but the cluster morphologies were quite different. In 2012, large berries led to high yields, while in 2013 berries were small, but the bunches themselves were bigger and therefore heavier. Small berries in 2013 resulted in high skin-to-juice ratios, which is generally favorable for color, tannin, structure and overall depth. These are of course general observations, but thoughts that were a common refrain during my estate visits.