The 2024 crop year

[Jusatele]

now, in Portland, I have first leaf starting to emerge, it dropped to 41 this morning. O hope this is the last cold spell. I did rub out thursday and was ne.rvous

 

[tjmeyer]

After about 2" of snow and upper 20s F last night, buds look ok! Still green, soft, and leafing. My apple trees weren't so lucky, buds on those are looking withered

Spoiler: young Malbec

Spoiler: young Zinfandel

 

[GSMChris]

That’s good news. Pictures look fine!!

 

[Garagista]

The weather station in Amador county showed 28.8°F last night. Napa showed 32°F. Yikes.

 

[Obbnw]

Yes, sorry. I find US-specific measurements a little weird and never use them, personally.

It's snowing now! Very odd start to a Southern CA April....

I find the various temperature systems the hardest to get a comfortable feel for. I think variable 0 location is what makes it hard.

Our weather report did mention the odd direction the cold front was coming from, moving north east versus the typical south east.

We got a little snow but it didn't drop below freezing.

Your Malbecs look a week or more ahead of mine. My Malbecs are my most successful variety, they seem to thrive in the high/hot/dry.

 

[GSMChris]

Well, the Grenache - which is at the bottom of the hill in my vineyard and which was the first to push this spring - didn’t like 31 degrees…

 

[Jusatele]

tjmeyer, those Zin buds are ready to run, looking good

 

[tjmeyer]

Your Malbecs look a week or more ahead of mine. My Malbecs are my most successful variety, they seem to thrive in the high/hot/dry.

Really? I thought most Malbec in central/northern CA were already leafed out! Our vineyards are all selected for exactly that kind of climate. An old wise man once told me that Italian grapes will grow anywhere Creosote will grow. So far that's been quite true! I think Malbec is supposedly Argentinian or French, but it does well also.

tjmeyer, those Zin buds are ready to run, looking good

We have a hot week coming up to make up for this snow in April nonsense. At least it didn't drop 2' in May like it did that one time in the early 90s.... never seen anything like that since.

 

[Joe B.]

Got about 8-10 inches of snow over Thursday and Friday. Then a frost. I'm late on pruning, just finishing up. Some varieties are at bud swell others haven't started yet, luckily. The late pruning seems to delay bud break for a bit.

 

[Obbnw]

Really? I thought most Malbec in central/northern CA were already leafed out! Our vineyards are all selected for exactly that kind of climate. An old wise man once told me that Italian grapes will grow anywhere Creosote will grow. So far that's been quite true! I think Malbec is supposedly Argentinian or French, but it does well also.

We have a hot week coming up to make up for this snow in April nonsense. At least it didn't drop 2' in May like it did that one time in the early 90s.... never seen anything like that since.

I'm in Salt Lake City at about 4600ft. I chose Malbec since it seems to do well in Argentina and my climate is pretty similar to Argentina. I also have some Tempranillo, Tannat, and Baco Noir. I think Malbec and Tempranillo are considered early ripening. I think the Tannats are considered mid to late ripening and I do need warmth early and late warmth for them to ripen. The Baco's are a hybrid and are very early.

April 4th last year. The Tannats took till the Oct 24 to ripen but they did get there.

 

[tjmeyer]

I'm in Salt Lake City at about 4600ft. I chose Malbec since it seems to do well in Argentina and my climate is pretty similar to Argentina. I also have some Tempranillo, Tannat, and Baco Noir. I think Malbec and Tempranillo are considered early ripening. I think the Tannats are considered mid to late ripening and I do need warmth early and late warmth for them to ripen. The Baco's are a hybrid and are very early.

April 4th last year. The Tannats took till the Oct 24 to ripen but they did get there.
View attachment 111734

You're middle/slightly cold for most grapes if I know SLC weather at all. That late of a harvest is worrying, your growing season for that species might be too narrow. I'd be interested to see how some of the cooler varieties do there as an experiment. Try some Riesling! I'd love hear how it goes. If it does well, there's a HUGE variety of grapes you can probably grow that CA growers cannot.

 

[Obbnw]

You're middle/slightly cold for most grapes if I know SLC weather at all. That late of a harvest is worrying, your growing season for that species might be too narrow. I'd be interested to see how some of the cooler varieties do there as an experiment. Try some Riesling! I'd love hear how it goes. If it does well, there's a HUGE variety of grapes you can probably grow that CA growers cannot.

Don't tell my grapes, they don't know it's too cold here ; )

Typically we are freeze free from mid April to mid October and have about 3500 growing degree days ( f degrees).

Typically I harvest the baco the first week of September, the tempranillo from early September to the end of September, Malbecs are a week or 2 slower, and the tannats another week or so later.

The summers are quite hot. Only a few degrees f cooler than apple valley in the hottest month.

Depending on which source you believe my location is listed as 6b to 7b. In the 28 years I've been here it meets 7a with most years meeting 7b.

From April to November we are almost the same as the walla walla valley, in the winter we are a little colder.

Heading into year 8, happy with my results so far.

As I said the tannat is a little risky but last years grapes were great and we had a slow start.

If I had to make a living on growing grapes here the tannats would be stressful.

 

[tjmeyer]

Don't tell my grapes, they don't know it's too cold here ; )

Typically we are freeze free from mid April to mid October and have about 3500 growing degree days ( f degrees).

Typically I harvest the baco the first week of September, the tempranillo from early September to the end of September, Malbecs are a week or 2 slower, and the tannats another week or so later.

The summers are quite hot. Only a few degrees f cooler than apple valley in the hottest month.

Depending on which source you believe my location is listed as 6b to 7b. In the 28 years I've been here it meets 7a with most years meeting 7b.

From April to November we are almost the same as the walla walla valley, in the winter we are a little colder.

Heading into year 8, happy with my results so far.

As I said the tannat is a little risky but last years grapes were great and we had a slow start.

If I had to make a living on growing grapes here the tannats would be stressful.

warmer than i thought! nvm lol

 

[mgmarty]

10 years I’ve grown seyval, cab franc, Pinot noir, Chardonnay, Foch and chardonell. Here in the salt lake valley the only thing I’ve had to worry about are late frost. 2022 saw a late frost in May, took 90% of my crop. 2023 was picture perfect. Chardonnay and Cab Franc are the only ones that are late ripening.

 

[Obbnw]

10 years I’ve grown seyval, cab franc, Pinot noir, Chardonnay, Foch and chardonell. Here in the salt lake valley the only thing I’ve had to worry about are late frost. 2022 saw a late frost in May, took 90% of my crop. 2023 was picture perfect. Chardonnay and Cab Franc are the only ones that are late ripening.

I'm pretty excited about this year. I'm getting better at pruning, grapes are nearing the maximum extent of where I want them, and I have a good feeling about the weather pattern remaining good all summer...

I haven't had any frost/freeze problems but my microclimate is warm/protected. 22 was my best year for quantity.

If I remember right you're lower and south of my place and influenced by cold off lonepeak/bells canyon. I'm between parleys and immigration on the bench and not influenced by cold air flowing out of either.

 

[Obbnw]

Tempranillo budbreak on 4-14-2024. Malbecs should open today, Tannat's still look a 3-7 days out and Baco's opened last Friday.

 

[Garagista]

It's early 2024 but in Plymouth/Amador county, it is shaping to be like 2023. If you track growing degree days (which I do), we are already colder and wetter than 2023. And 2023 was shockingly cold and wet in CA.

The following is the cumulative GDD of 2023 and 2024 compared to 2022. The blue shows that already, 2024 is more behind 2022 than 2023. There is plenty of time to catch up but the start is auspicious.

 

[Rice_Guy]

It's early 2024 but in Plymouth/Amador county, it is shaping to be like 2023. If you track growing degree days (which I do), we are already colder and wetter than 2023. And 2023 was shockingly cold and wet in CA.

The following is the cumulative GDD of 2023 and 2024 compared to 2022. The blue shows that already, 2024 is more behind 2022 than 2023. There is plenty of time to catch up but the start is auspicious.


View attachment 111908

You are making me look beyond the next hill, wouldn’t have guessed California does this.
My Midwest point of view is it has been exceptionally warm since February and we are low on rainfall, ,,, not as drought like as 2023 at least yet but it’s April yet.
With the warm temps I have been waiting for trees to bud and finally that is starting. When will I get a feel for if this year’s grafted plants crater like last spring?

 

[Cedar Hill]

Here in the Shenandoah Valley, as of this morning, I have bud break on every variety (Marquette, Marshal Foch,Noiret, Chambourcin, Cab Franc, Petit Verdot, Vidal Blanc, Tramminette, Villard blanc, and Mysterio the mystery grape), and grapelets on the Marquette, Marshal Foch, and Mysterio.

 

[Obbnw]

Well, 32 degrees this am… started around 5 and will probably last until the sun comes up. Hopefully that’s not quite cold enough or long enough but I guess I’ll know in a couple of days….

My 32.5 degree temp this morning (ice on my metal roof and cars) made me think of this thread and wonder why I wasn't at all concerned (and if I should be) which triggered this post. The dew point must have been 32.5 since the temp was steadily down all night then stopped at 32.5 and stayed there a few hours till the sun started to come up.

I use this reference when pondering cold. https://wine.wsu.edu/extension/cold...iety responds differently to,occurred at 23°F.

The WSU site says damage on most grapes post budbreak starts at 29.8 f (-1.2c). I was looking through my notes and saw I had a note that in 2021 that I had a 27f night (-2.8c) 3 days after budbreak (4/9/21 budbreak). I don't have any other notes for that year indicating damage but the way my vines are maintained damage would not be obvious.

Anyway just some more data to ponder and maybe help some of us worry less.