Atlas Peak - Napa Valley Mountains - 2008 Harvest Update

Atlas Peak — Jan Krupp, Stagecoach Vineyards, “Atlas Peak has benefited from the recent spate of cooler weather. Flavors, anthocyanins and tannin maturity are all catching up with sugar accumulation. The merlot and white grape part of harvest is in full swing. Flavors and balance are great. The merlot crop is light. Only a few blocks of cab have been harvested in the Atlas Peak area. Most of our cab still requires several more weeks of ripening.”


Howell Mountain — Pat Stotesbery, Ladera Vineyards, “The harvest of fits and starts. After all the heat there was this feeling of surprise that is now replaced with a slow but steady picking regime. The normal suspects of zin and merlot are being picked from the top, including some from Sears, Summit Lake and Outpost down and through Ladera where we have actually started into the cabernet. Everyone wants to keep picking but the process is slowing as we approach more cool weather. Waiting for the next surprise.”


Spring Mountain District — Stuart Smith, Smith-Madrone, “Progress of the Spring Mt. harvest is quite varied — as might be expected from a group of strong-minded mountain folk. Some of us have picked most if not all of our merlot and others will be starting soon. Several of us have picked some blocks of cabernet sauvignon and others are still several weeks off. We all agree that the grapes have high acids, low pHs and yet have very good flavors for so early in the season. Whether it is the harvesting of merlot, cabernet franc or even cabernet sauvignon, the cooler weather is allowing all of us to pick the grapes at the peak of maturity — albeit a rather


Mount Veeder — Brian Nuss, Vinoce Vineyards, Over at Wing Canyon they finished picking all their cab on the 13th, two weeks earlier than ‘07 but down 33 percent. The fruit was clean and the bunches full. We picked some cabernet sauvignon again on Tuesday and all the cab in the lower vineyard will be in by the end of the week. The cab franc is still hanging on and hopefully bring it in next week. The upper elevations are still at least a week out. Everyone has been happy with the way things are right now.”

2008 Napa Valley Harvest Report brought to you by the: St. Helena Star

To learn more about the fabulous mountain Cabernets of Atlas Peak, visit: www.atlaspeak.com