​With the 2023 growing season well underway, Napa growers are studying the vintage characteristics to date to help track trends. Below are a few highlights so far: 

1. Late bud-break with wet winter 
2. 20+ inches of rain Jan-Mar, 10+ inches of snow in February
3. Phenology is roughly 2-3 weeks behind previous recent vintages
4. Fruit set is underway and looks good so far
5. Cluster counts are variable around the valley
6. Growing Degree Days (GDD) are tracking closely with the 2010 vintage

While every vintage is unique, lessons can be drawn from previous growing seasons—especially the 2010 vintage. The 2010 growing season was like the current season in terms of winter rainfall and an unusually cool spring. To hasten ripening, many vineyards were aggressively leafed in order to expose the fruit. A late August heat wave caused significant crop loss due to damaged clusters without canopy protection.      

​While the weather may be cool now, the clusters will need protection from the sun during the late summer and early fall months, so crews should be prudent when making canopy management passes during the next few weeks of the growing season.