"Never-ending" Paso Robles harvest draws to a close
The harvest at Paso Robles has just drawn to a conclusion, though for some producers it seemed as if it would never end.
Normally the harvest window is relatively small, but non stop, with a steady flow of picking and processing. However, this year was described by producers as a “marathon of fits and starts” with long periods of sitting and waiting.
But winemakers claim that the wait, while nailbiting, was worth it. The longer hang times have enabled grapes to mature more slowly, developing more flavours and colours along the way and many producers are already confidently predicting a stand-out year for wines from the region.
Bob Tillman at Alta Colina said yields were up by around 20%, with harvest 11 days behind 2017 and over two weeks later than 2016, while Kevin Jusilla at Kukkula Winery reported being 10 days behind the usual schedule.
“We were about ten day slater on the Viognier than last year, and north of two weeks later than the years beore last,” he told the Paso Robles Daily News. “Historically we pick Syrah around mid-August but last year we picked at the end of August. This year we pulled the last in October."
Sherman Thatcher at Thatcher Winery reported picking even later – six weeks later than average. “Some of our dry-farmed Zinfandel was picked as much as six weeks later,” he confirmed. “A variety already famous for uneven ripening within the cluster became even more varied, which gave us some challenging numbers to work with.”
Jusilla said that while he generally avoids making predictions about the quality of the vintage until several months after getting wines into barrels, this year “feels like a seminal vintage”. He said that grapes ripened easily, pH/TA almost across the board is "about as good as it gets", while the colour intensity, and concentration are “amazing”.
Late rains in March, the overall cool growing season, and late harvest all contributed to really even ripening and high fruit quality, he added.