Sean P. Sullivan - Washington Wine Report Note: Site has moved to www.northwestwinereport.com

We’re approaching the six week mark on harvest in Washington. Harvest began on August 23^rd with picks of Tempranillo for rosé in the Walla Walla Valley and picks of Pinot Noir for sparkling wine in the Yakima Valley. Most winemakers I’ve spoken with have reported that they have brought in 30-40% of their fruit at present. Hillary Sjolund, consulting winemaker at Wine Boss in Richland, provided the following summary of recent vintages at Wine Boss:

Tons received by Oct. 2nd in each vintage:
2015 - 540 (82% complete)
2016 - 419 (67% complete)
2017 - 211 (~40% complete)

Of note, 2015 was one of the warmest vintages on record (read a harvest report here) and 2016 had an extremely warm start followed by more moderate temperatures (read a harvest report here).

Looking at this vintage, temperatures have cooled considerably recently and the state could use a kiss of warm weather – as well as a few more weeks of frost free nights – to bring the fruit still hanging to the finish line.

Below is a look at harvest based on what has been picked when and where. Enjoy!

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See information on the Washington State Growing Degree Days here.

See monthly forecast for Yakima Valley (Sunnyside), Red Mountain (Benton City), Walla Walla, Paterson, and Mattawa.

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The information in the table below is aggregated from personal correspondence with growers and winemakers, as well as information posted on Twitter and Facebook. It is not intended to be comprehensive but rather is intended as a snapshot of what is going on around the state. If you wish to send data for your grapes or vineyards (or correct any of the information below), please email me at wawinereport@gmail.com, leave a comment here, or leave a comment on the WWR Facebook page.

Winery	Grape	Vineyard	Date	Notes
Columbia Valley
--	Chardonnay	Solaksen	8/24	For sparkling
--	Sauv Blanc	Bacchus	8/31
The Walls	Chardonnay	Bacchus	9/1
Baer	Merlot	Stillwater	9/7	First day of Merlot crush for Baer
Davenport	Semillon	Dionysus	9/8
Gordon Estate	Chardonnay	Estate	9/13	For reserve program
Long Shadows	Syrah	Bacchus	9/13
Reininger/Helix	Merlot	Sagemoor	9/14
Gorman	Chardonnay	Cold Creek	9/14	First fruit
Ste Michelle	Chardonnay	Lawrence	9/19	Machine pick at night
Ancestry	Merlot	Stillwater Cr	9/20
Sixto	Chardonnay	Frenchman Hills	9/22	First grapes of harvest
Gordon	Merlot	Estate	9/26
Revelry	Syrah	Sagemoor	9/27	Block 19
Tempus	Cabernet Sauv	Dionysus	9/27
Orr	Grenache	Stillwater	10/3	Planted 2004
Rocky Pond	Merlot	Double D	10/3
Yakima Valley
Precept	Pinot Noir	Canyon Vyd	8/23	For sparkling
Dance	Chardonnay	French Creek	9/6
Avennia	Sauv Blanc	Red Willow	9/7
Sleight of Hand	Chardonnay	French Creek	9/8
Orr	Chenin Blanc	Rothrock	9/9
Meuret-Gaston	Chardonnay	French Creek	9/11
Sparkman	Sauv Blanc	Oasis	9/12
Forgeron	Chardonnay	French Creek	9/12
Sleight of Hand	Cabernet Franc	Blackrock	9/13	For rosé
Wind Rose	Orange Muscat	Lonesome Spr	9/14
--	Cabernet Sauv	Candy Mt	9/19
Kerloo	Syrah	Red Willow	9/20
Two Vintners	Grenache Blanc	Boushey	9/21
Syncline	Syrah	Boushey	9/22	Ranch at the end of the Rd
The Walls	Chardonnay	French Creek	9/25
Wind Rose	Chardonnay	French Creek	9/26
Lodmell	Sauv Blanc	Oasis Farms	9/27
Davenport	Petit Sirah	Lonesome Spr	9/28	For rosé
Camaraderie	Merlot	Chandler Reach	9/28	First Merlot
Purple Star	Syrah	Olsen	9/30
Love That Red	Syrah	Olsen	10/3
Rattlesnake Hills
Swiftwater	Pinot Noir	Allechant	9/6	For sparkling. Dijon Clone 115. Came in at 19.2 brix/3.08 pH.
Cote Bonneville	Chardonnay	DuBrul	9/5	First fruit.
Bonair	Gewurz	Estate	9/11	First fruit.
Cote Bonneville	Merlot	DuBrul	9/7
Owen Roe	Merlot	DuBrul	9/11
Kevin White	Syrah	Elephant Mtn	9/13	First fruit.
Co Dinn	Syrah	Elephant Mtn	9/22	Tablas Creek Clone 99
DeLille	Merlot	DuBrul	9/23	Last of Merlot
Orr	Chenin Blanc	Roza	9/23
Sixto	Chardonnay	Roza Hills	9/25
Owen Roe	Cabernet Sauv	DuBrul	9/28
Callan	Cabernet Franc	Dineen	9/30
Co Dinn	Cabernet Sauv	Elephant Mtn	9/30
Naches Heights
Treveri	Pinot Gris	Naches Heights	9/18	For sparkling
Naches Heights	Pinot Gris	Estate	9/19
Red Mountain
Auclair	Sauv Blanc	Artz	8/26	First fruit of harvest
Sightglass	Sauv Blanc	Artz	9/5
Wine Boss	Sauv Blanc	Quintessence	9/7	First day of harvest
Cadence	Merlot	Cara Mia	9/7	Inaugural pick
Cadence	Merlot	Tapteil	9/7
Convergence Zone	Pinot Gris	Ciel du Cheval	9/7	First grapes
Auclair	Semillon	Artz	9/10
Fidelitas	Merlot	Ciel du Cheval	9/12	Block ‘75
Upchurch	Merlot	Upchurch	9/13	First day of harvest
Force Majeure	Syrah	Estate	9/16
Va Piano	Merlot	Scooteney	9/20
Gorman	Syrah	Klipsun	9/22
Auclair	Merlot	Kiona	9/23
Auclair	Merlot	Ciel du Cheval	9/23	First reds
Purple Star	Petit Verdot	Heart of Hill	9/26
Sparkman	Syrah	Ciel du Cheval	9/27	Block 94
Auclair	Merlot	Artz	9/30
Walla Walla Valley
Tertulia Cellars	Tempranillo	Riviere Galets	8/23	(For rosé)
Woodward Canyon	Chardonnay	Estate	8/31	First pick of 2017.
Lagana	Chardonnay	Eritage	9/6	First pick of 2017.
College Cellars	Pinot Noir	Breezy Slope	9/7	For sparkling
Sleight of Hand	Syrah	Stoney Vine	9/7	First fruit of harvest.
College Cellars	Chardonnay	Eritage	9/7
L’Ecole	Sauv Blanc	Seven Hills	9/8
Nodland	Syrah	Seven Hills	9/10
Amavi	Semillon	Seven Hills	9/11
Gifford Hirlinger	Pinot Gris	Estate	9/12	First grapes of year
Tertulia	Merlot	Elevation	9/12
Gifford Hirlinger	Sauv Blanc	Estate	9/12
Maison Bleue	Syrah	Funk	9/14
Sleight of Hand	Syrah	Funk	9/14
Tertulia	Merlot	Elevation	9/14
College Cellars	Sauv Blanc	Estate	9/14
--	Pinot Noir	Breezy Slope	9/14
Delmas	Syrah	SJR	9/15
Waters	Syrah	Patina	9/18	For rosé
Saviah	Syrah	Funk	9/19
Woodward Canyon	Cab Sauv	Estate	9/21
Sleight of Hand	Syrah	Elevation	9/22	Ziggy Stardust Block
Spring Valley	Merlot	Estate	9/22	Last Merlot
JM Cellars	Merlot	Margaret’s	9/22
College Cellars	Syrah	Eritage	9/26	Shiraz & Joseph Phelps
Va Piano	Syrah	Les Collines	9/26
Sleight of Hand	Cabernet Sauv	Blue Mountain	9/27
College Cellars	Carmenere	Estate	9/28
Eternal	Syrah	Les Collines	9/29
Nodland	Carmenere	Seven Hills	9/30	Block 12A
Wahluke Slope
Northstar	Merlot	Stone Tree	9/7	First fruit.
L’Ecole	Merlot	Stone Tree	9/8
Buty	Semillon	Rosebud	9/8	First fruit of year.
Long Shadows	Merlot	Stone Tree	9/8	First fruit
Va Piano	Merlot	Rosebud	9/13
Longship	Syrah	Northridge	9/17	For rosé.
Longship	Grenache	Clifton Hill	9/21
Angel Vine	Mourvedre	Stone Tree	9/24
Horse Heaven Hills
Syncline	Grenache	McKinley	9/1	For rosé
Ste Michelle	Syrah	Canoe Ridge	9/5	First red fruit.
Syncline	Syrah	McKinley	9/7	First grapes for red wine.
Rotie	Marsanne	Alder Ridge	9/7
Rotie	Roussanne	Alder Ridge	9/8
Coyote Canyon	Albariño	Coyote Canyon	9/11	First grapes of year.
Mosquito Fleet	Merlot	Double Canyon	9/12
Quilceda Creek	Cabernet Sauv	Palengat	9/19	First fruit
Quilceda Creek	Cabernet Sauv	Wallula	9/19	First fruit
Bartholomew	Primitivo	Coyote Canyon	9/19
Maryhill	Zinfandel	McKinley Spr	9/19	First grapes
Buty	Syrah	Phinny Hill	9/21	Clone 174, first red fruit
Sleight of Hand	Cabernet Sauv	Phinny Hill	9/28	Clone 4, 8; Elene’s Block
--	Primitivo	Coyote Canyon	9/28
Snipes Mountain
Co Dinn	Syrah	Roskamp	9/15	Block 2
Co Dinn	Chardonnay	Roskamp	9/19	Dijon Clones 76, 96
Avennia	Grenache	Upland	9/27
Columbia Gorge
Kerloo	Chardonnay	Celilo	9/30
Woodward Canyon	Chardonnay	Celilo	10/2
Lake Chelan
Hard Row	Sauv Blanc	Robin’s	9/13
Tsillan	Pinot Grigio	Estate	9/19
Hard Row	Pinot Gris	Estate	9/23
Hard Row	Gewurz	Estate	9/25
Chelan Estate	Pinot Noir	Estate	9/27