Report: Yields down, But Quality High in Sonoma County 2011 Wine Harvest

Vineyards in Sonoma County had a variety of different yields and timings of harvest, but the general consensus indicates that overall yield was down by an estimated average of 20 percent, a new report says.

At the same time, Sonoma County Vintners, a group representing all 14 appellations in the county, reports that despite the lower yields, the quality of the fruit that was picked was "very good to excellent," with distinctive attributes resulting from the cooler-than-normal growing season.

“Overall, this harvest certainly had its ups and downs like we haven’t seen in many vintages, but it has surprised us with how well the wines have turned out,” said Russian River Valley winegrowing director Douglas McIlroy of

Actual grape tonnage for the Sonoma County winegrape harvest will not be known until preliminary numbers are released in the USDA Crush Report on Feb. 10, 2012, the Sonoma County Vintners report said. However, their harvest summary, issued last week, is based on anecdotal reports on yields at a variety of Sonoma County locations.

According to Sonoma County Vintners, the cooler-than-normal temperatures this year allowed slow, gradual flavor development and preserved natural acids in the grapes. Alcohol levels in wines are also lower than average, creating additional factors in flavor development that winemakers are watching evolve in the cellar.

“It was a year I’ve dreamed about as a winemaker,” said Rod Berglund, winemaker at in Russian River Valley. “And the quality I’ve seen so far, especially in chardonnay, pinot noir, and zinfandel, is outstanding.

"A lot of wines I’ve been tasting show more sense of ‘completeness’ than I’ve ever seen at this stage, and the lower alcohols are icing on the cake,” Berglund said.

In the Dry Creek Valley, Winemaker Hugh Chappelle looked ahead to the release of these wines in coming years and said, “Sommeliers should love this vintage for its alcohol and acid balance.”

Sonoma County Vintners has posted all regional harvest-related news and updates at www.sonomawine.com.