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

Atlas Peak - Napa Valley Mountains - 2008 Harvest Update

Atlas Peak — Jan Krupp, Stagecoach Vineyards, “The vines on Atlas Peak endured a second week of temperatures that rose to 100 degrees. Most of them came through undamaged, although a few of the rocky areas lost some leaves. Last week’s heat had the growers of Atlas Peak picking white in earnest and seeing rapid sugar accumulation in some of their reds. The current cool down should slow or stop the brix rise and let the flavors catch up.

Howell Mountain — Pat Stotesbery, Ladera Vineyards, “By the time this is read there will have been a lot of fruit picked on Howell Mountain and across most varietals. Everyone seems surprised by the rush to crush but the weather finally caught up with us and it is off to the races. Picking will have been seen from Outpost and the Dragon vineyard near the top and on down to the 1,400-foot level. Cabernet, zin, petite syrah and merlot and if the weather forecast is correct picking will go through the weekend and beyond. The challenge may be tank space but the fruit and plants all look healthy.”


Spring Mountain District — Stuart Smith, Smith-Madrone, “This week began with a lovely cool respite from last week’s oppressive heat. With the cool weather harvesting has slowed to a crawl. Many of us have brought in small lots of merlot and cabernet sauvignon last week and were fearful of a repeat of the 1984 harvest which, because of the heat, was compressed into a few short weeks. These initial forays into reds seem to confirm the expected short crop. Will the cool weather continue like 2007 or will heat return? With such dry soils can the vines continue to mature their fruit or will they just shut down and collapse? Do we gamble on a few more days or even several weeks for more varietal flavor and risk dehydration and over-ripe raisin-like flavors? Aw, the joys of another harvest.”

Mount Veeder — Brian Nuss, Vinoce Vineyards, “The harvest has started for us. Tuesday we picked some merlot in the lower vineyard. Thursday and Friday we will start on the cabernet sauvignon and finish up on the lower vineyard by the end of next week. The upper elevations are still at least two weeks out depending of course on the weather.”

To learn more about Atlas Peak visit: www.atlaspeak.com