“In the years to come, if you’re still looking at vintage charts, you’ll see that for Northern California, 2024 will be all stars.” —Chris Howell
For all of us in the vineyard and in the winery, an uneventful harvest is as good as it gets!
In these times of change, we have become conditioned to expect the unexpected, and never to rest easy in assuming that things will work out as they always have—at least some of the time.
But 2024 in Northern California is just one of those years. From beginning to end, no dramatic events, no massive rains, no floods, no hail in the Spring, no frosts in April, no rain at bloom, no terrible, withering hot spells—just progressive even ripening, neither early nor late… what’s not to like?
Well, it should be said that, perhaps perversely, sometimes we do like a challenge, a year to overcome adversity and demonstrate our prowess. But for us, in 2024, that’s not to be. In the years to come, if you’re still looking at vintage charts, you’ll see that for Northern California, 2024 will be all stars.
At the same time, we should all remember that many of our friends in Europe have not been so fortunate in 2024, what with frost, hail, and flooding summer rains. For many of them it has been beyond difficult. There, it will be important to look for those who either escaped the worst or managed successfully to play the cards they were dealt. Thanks to those vintage charts, in many cases we’ll find exceptional wines being overlooked and offered at exceptional prices. Keep an eye out….
Back to Cain: as you know, all of us were thrilled to present our first post-fire Cain Five to the world: the 2021 Cain Five Estate—“The Phoenix.” Thus far, the reception has been overwhelmingly positive and we have no doubt that as this wine ages, it will become increasingly sought-after.
As I write this, we are approaching the autumnal equinox and are just past halfway through the harvest. Fall is in the air. It is at this time that the length of the day changes markedly. Day by day, the sun comes up later and sets earlier. The vines respond to this and quicken their ripening. This is the ideal moment to pick! And pick we have been doing. Ashley Bennett and her team have been moving through the vineyard, methodically, progressively, never in a rush, and never under difficult conditions. Harvest is just over one-half complete.
The fruit is simply magnificent.
Our fermentations, which rely only on the yeasts on the surface of the grape berries, are just this week getting started. They are warming up, both figuratively and literally; the must is perfumed and deeply colored, even though most of the grape sugar remains to be consumed by the yeast. In a week or two, we’ll begin draining and pressing our first wines, and hopefully, we’ll see the promise of the vintage confirmed.
And, for the first time since the fire of 2020, we have an intern to help and work alongside Mandy Heldt, our Winemaker. Morgan has just arrived and this will be her first week.
I feel particularly fortunate to be working with such a committed team from the vineyard to the cellar!
Until next time, yours in wine,
—Christopher Howell, Wine Grower
2024