The 2010 harvest in Napa Valley could potentially be the greatest vintage in over 35 years, according to Michael Mondavi.
Mondavi, son of the late Robert Mondavi and founder of Folio Wine Partners, has spoken out about his hopes for a change of winemaking style from Napa wineries.
‘Cooler conditions like these were last seen in 1974, giving us a rare opportunity to make wines with real elegance. I believe that many of the Napa wines rated highly by American judges have been overly alcoholic and too intense in fruit’, he told Decanter.com
California has been experiencing unusual weather patterns this summer, with coastal fogs and temperatures around 20C rather than the more normal 30C, causing grape rot in regions like Sonoma.
As a result Mondavi is confident this would be a stellar year.
‘I believe that this year’s cooler weather will allow us to produce full-bodied wines that have more finesse and balance than in previous years. Hopefully, this will be a trend.’
‘My neighbours are concerned, but I welcome these conditions’, he added.
Written by James Lawrence
