2012: Turrentine Weekly Harvest Update Monday, August 27th

What’s happening in the vineyards as harvest progresses? The Turrentine Grape Team will be highlighting what they are hearing and seeing in the vineyards throughout California every week.

Interior:

• Delta Chardonnay, Pinot Grigio and Pinot Noir look average plus
• Several new small lot grape listings, particularly in Foothills, limited interest at this time.
• Crunch time for the Interior! Reds coming on as whites are being picked.

Central Coast:

• SLO: Temperatures dropped from triple digits last week to high 80s low 90s
• Ripening is moving quickly
• Chardonnay in warmer areas; 21 degrees Brix
• Syrah: Paso: ripening fairly quickly
• Most recent comments and observations from some Monterey Chardonnay are that yields looking to be average to average plus

North Coast

• Still active demand and tight spot market for supply.
• Reds are coming along through veraison, berries are sizing
• Cluster counts in Sonoma are about average

Contact us (415-209-9462, Kelly@turrentinebrokerage.com) with your observations or to list your grapes for sale or any grape needs.

Brian Clements, Vice President  here at Turrentine Brokerage has posted his latest article, titled “Games People Play” for the North Bay Business Journal. To read the entire article, please click on the link below.

http://www.northbaybusinessjournal.com/59579/grape-market-insights-games-people-play/

(Article originally posted: Monday, August 20, 2012)

Brian Clements
Vice President / Partner

Turrentine Brokerage is pleased to announce that Mike Needham has joined the company. Mike is replacing Audra Cooper as North Coast Grape Broker (who is now representing Turrentine Brokerage on the Central Coast). Mike will work with Brian Clements, Vice President, and Alicia Kump, Grape Brokerage Support, brokering grapes from Napa Valley, Sonoma County, Mendocino County, Lake County and Suisun Valley. “Mike’s trifecta of knowledge in grape growing, grape selling and custom crushing is a perfect fit for Turrentine Brokerage,” commented Brian Clements, Vice President.

Mike grew up in the San Joaquin Valley town of Linden. He earned a degree in viticulture from Fresno State and worked as a research assistant for both Cliff Ohmart and Keith Striegler. In 1997, Mike joined McCarty Company and managed three ranches, totaling approximately 2,000 acres. He transplanted himself and his family in the year 2000 to Anderson Valley, working for Madrigal Vineyards. Mike started with three vineyard sites adding up to 65 acres. Over the next few years, he farmed nine vineyards and 250 acres, and was selling the grapes to a long list of ultra-premium wineries.

Mike’s employer decided to build a winery in the Napa Valley in 2007 — and they tapped Mike as General Manager. They built the winery just in time for harvest. Mike helped recruit six high-end custom crush clients to maximize facility efficiencies. He was soon responsible each vintage for roughly 100 lots of wine, destined for bottles that retail from $15.00 to $250.00 per bottle.

Hungry for opportunity to grow, he applied to Turrentine Brokerage, hoping to leverage his organizational and negotiation skills, his network of associates and friends, his knowledge of the business, as well as his knowledge ranging from soil types to rootstocks to grapes to wine to bottle. Give Mike a call (707-849-4337) with Napa Valley, Sonoma County, Mendocino County, Lake County or Suisun Valley grapes for sale.

Mike Needham
North Coast Grape Broker

If you are hunting the pearly abalone or digging for clams, a tide book can tell you if the tide is coming in or going out. But whether the tide is in or out, you had still better keep an eye on each individual wave. Otherwise, you may be swept out to sea. Turrentine Brokerage’s analysis can tell you if the long-term global grape and wine supply is moving toward excess or shortage, but you still had better watch each variety every harvest or you can be swept into the abyss of too little or caught in the flood of too much.

2012: Turrentine Weekly Harvest Update Friday August 17, 2012

What’s happening in the vineyards as harvest progresses? The Turrentine Grape Team will be highlighting what they are hearing and seeing in the vineyards throughout California every week.

Interior

• Southern Interior: A lot of mass, not much weight across the varieties currently being harvested.
• Good color compared to the last two years.

Central Coast

• It is still pretty early, but the crop looks overall average in size.
• There have been observations of berry sizing not taking place, loose clusters, and small berries; however, the cluster counts in general look good.
• Chardonnay in Monterey County is ripening on time. Crop looks good to some, better to others.
• Most reds are complete with verasion.
• Merlot and Syrah have the potential to be an above average crop size.

North Coast

• Generally average across the board, 2 clusters per shoot
• Berries in some vineyards aren’t filling out and clusters look a little loose.
• Sonoma Chardonnay crop looks decent so far, slightly above average projections especially on clone 4.
• Ripening still looks to be on time.

Contact us (415-209-9462, Kelly@turrentinebrokerage.com) with your observations or to list your grapes for sale or any grape needs.