Sonoma County Wine Grape Harvest 2016

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October 26, 2016 | by Rob Davis

After 40 years as winemaker at Jordan, 2012 ranks as the best vintage I’ve ever experienced. I thought I’d never see another vintage like that again, especially not this soon. But, the 2016 vintage was phenomenal—truly superb. What I look for in a great harvest is intensity of fruit flavors, and 2016 delivered in spades. What our marketing director looks for is beautiful images of purple grapes to share with wine lovers, and the grape images to download from 2016 are as gorgeous as the 2016 wines will be.

2016 is an average-sized crop compared to the bountiful 2012 but with taste and complexity on par with 2012 wines. We can’t complain. An average-sized crop for 2016 wines is better than low; 2012 certainly spoiled us all.

Forty years ago, the first grapes for the inaugural 1976 Jordan Cabernet Sauvignon were harvested on October 8. In 2016, harvest began on September 1 with Russian River Valley Chardonnay and concluded with a hillside vineyard of Alexander Valley Cabernet Sauvignon on October 7–on the eve of our official 40th anniversary. Read our full 2016 vintage harvest report for Chardonnay and our 2016 vintage pre-harvest blog.