Notes from a wine insider

BY JONATHAN H . NEWMAN

THIS HARVEST APPEARS TO BE ONE OF THE biggest and best in several years . Each phase of the growing season in Napa and Sonoma this year seemed to emerge with near-perfect weather conditions .

There were no significant fires or “ weather events .” It was a long and even growing season without heat spikes . Mother Nature cooperated perfectly . Wine pricing should see some relief when this bumper crop of beautiful wines hits the market .

2012-2014 saw three beautiful , bountiful vintages in Napa and Sonoma . 2015 was stunning , but production was down on average 40 %. Prices skyrocketed . Vintage 2016 was slightly below average , but the wines were desperately needed , as there wasn ’ t enough wine in 2015 to fill existing distribution channels .

While varietals like pinot noir and chardonnay looked good in 2017 — and were harvested before the fires — there was a lot of damage to Bordeaux varietals still hanging on the vine .

I sampled cabernet sauvignon from the 2017 vintage that was fundamentally flawed with smoke taint . The tricky thing with smoke taint is that even if wines have undergone reverse osmosis , the particles and compounds that cause the nasty ashtray-like taste can re-attach at any time .

Reputable wineries with smoke-taint issues typically destroyed their 2017 vintage , or sold the damaged wine with ( hopefully ) full disclosure in the bulk market . Wineries would not risk their reputations by bottling juice that was potentially suspect . Smart buyers were careful when purchasing . Thus , 2017 cabernet sauvignon prices spiked due to demand for quality juice that was free of smoke taint . Then came the 2018 vintage . As I write this in the third week of October , the Valley has eluded major smoke or rain events . Some Bordeaux varietals still hang on the vine .

The weather cooled down in October . Harvest has generally been pushed back a couple weeks . Some grapes may not be picked until early November . Most wineries have reported a huge crop of exceptional quality . The size of this harvest has put some stress on wineries and growers , as resources were pushed to the limit .

Experienced Sonoma winemaker Nancy Walker was jubilant

about 2018 . “ The quality is exceptional and the harvest will be 25 % to 33 % above average ,” she said . Walker recalled only one significant weather event — over an inch of rain in early October . Since then it ’ s been perfect . Walker believed that some winemakers maybe got nervous and picked after the rain , but most were smart and showed patience .

Many negociants and bulk sellers feel that cabernet sauvignon pricing is about to see a downward readjustment . In particular , Napa Valley cabernet sauvignon has gone up dramatically over the last 2.5 years and at some point pricing loses touch with realities of the marketplace .

Growers are the most nervous , as lower prices hit them the hardest . But this has been a reality check , with 2018 prices on the bulk market already dropping by more than 30 %. Even in elite sub-appellations like Napa Valley ’ s Howell Mountain .

Economic growth , and the reputation of Napa and Sonoma Valleys among wine lovers , has allowed many wineries with ultra-premium pricing to prosper . But it ’ s good that pricing of cabernet seems to be starting the process of coming down . It would seem that with more availability , more consumers can access these wines later in 2019 . BD

As chairman of the Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board , Jonathan Newman was the nation ’ s largest wine buyer . He has received signifi - cant industry accolades during his career . Follow him on Twitter at @ NewmanWine and visit his website : newmanwine . com .

PHOTO CREDIT : © ISTOCK . COM / REPINANATOLY

8 Beverage Dynamics • November / December 2018 www . beveragedynamics . com