2016

Following the uneventful El Nino of 2015/16, which did provide better rainfall than the previous four years, proved to be a let down from what was anticipated. The winter cold also did not dip down into consistently low conditions to provide for a true hard frost, which helps vines remain in dormancy longer. Early bud break, at about mid-April, was recorded across the AVA. A relatively cool spring led to some very consistent and warm spikes in early June, then consistently warm July and August. Harvest for white varieties began mid-August. Warm temperatures through September kept harvest at a heightened pace until it concluded in early October. This was one of the earliest harvests on record, at least since 2013. The 2016 vintage is the warmest year since 2014, with every month of the growing season, except May, skewing warmer than average.