It’s Harvest 2022

The growing season in Napa and Sonoma Valleys is drawing to a close. Grapes are being picked, sorted, pressed and sent to the cellar to turn into wine. This year saw a perfectly even bud break, flower, set and veraison (when red varieties turn from green to red berries).

At B.R. Cohn Winery, the grapes are hand-picked and placed into small boxs which are then placed carefully into larger bins for transport to the cellar.

Then, in September, Mother Nature pulled one of her little pranks, bestowing upon us a week of 100 degree+. Our winemakers and the entire harvest team sprang into action a bit sooner and faster than expected. Our vines received a bit of irrigation to ensure the berries didn’t become dehydrated. Fortunately, the hot spell was followed by cooler weather and a bit of rain allowing the vines and grapes to rehydrate.

All told, about 150 separate blocks of vines are harvested in Napa and Sonoma, allowing the winemakers to have plenty of distinctive and separate lots for blending. The hours are long and intense but harvest is chaos in the best kind of way! The scents of fermenting wine are perfume to a winemaker’s soul.

Once fermentation is complete, our winemaking team will taste through all the samples and experiment with different blends for different wines. Great wine starts in the vineyard but finishes in the cellar with the winemaker’s artistry.

What will the 2022 Harvest be remembered for? A beautiful, even growing season, a crazy hot September week followed by cooler weather with a bit of rain to restore hydration to the grapes. Volumes in terms of tons of grapes picked are lower but typically that means quality and intensity will be high.

All our California estate wineries and vineyards are now sustainably certified. (CCSW – Certified California Sustainable Winegrowing through CSWA – the California Sustainable Winegrowing Alliance, run by the Wine Institute).

Coming soon to a table near you!