2023 Growing Season

If the ’23 growing season could be defined by one element, it would be water. After several years of drought, we recalibrated our expectations and practices to adapt to abundant rain. Years like this remind us why it is important to stay nimble and open to change. We embraced what nature gave us—and garnered a standout vintage.

Atmospheric rivers (long bands of atmosphere in the air that can resemble and carry as much water as the namesake body of water) in the winter, particularly January and March, were a double-edged sword. These occurrences refilled rivers and lakes to capacity and replenished aquifers; however, the wet and cool conditions, especially in March through early April, delayed bud break by several weeks. Lower than average temperatures and more rainfall prevailed in May and bloom came later than previous vintages. Fruit set was remarkably strong overall, save for a few pinot noir blocks. July rebounded with warmer temperatures and veraison kicked off in earnest. August temperatures were below normal and foggy, wet conditions led to rapid growth of cluster and berry size. To counteract the weight and ensure good phenolic concentration in the fruit, we performed additional crop thinning in many estate blocks. Like every other stage of the growing season, harvest commenced weeks behind previous years. We began picking on September 20—the latest start in over a decade for Paul Hobbs Winery. All in all, 2023 was not just quantitatively notable, but qualitative as well, providing beautiful and balanced fruit.