2023 Napa Valley Vintage
The Vintage of a Lifetime
In 2023, Napa Valley experienced one of the longest growing seasons in a decade or more. With consistent, mild weather throughout the season, above-average crop yields, and extended hang time, 2023 is an exceptional, high-quality, memorable vintage.
Winter and spring rains led to full reservoirs and healthy, saturated soils; ideal conditions as grape growers headed into bud break. The mild, warm summer weather (72-75 degrees F) supported healthy canopy growth through bloom and set. Though vineyards faced mildew pressure, clusters remained loose for good air flow. Relatively cool weather throughout the growing season in tandem with an abundance of sunshine allowed grape skins to ripen slowly and develop maximal dark red color components for red wines.
Harvest kicked off around Labor Day weekend (September 2-4, 2023) for white wine grapes; Cabernet Sauvignon harvest started the end of September / early-October; all picks wrapped up by mid-November. Vintners relished the long harvest season, which provided extended hang time to develop flavors.
For red wines, full ripeness of grape skins and seeds provided the building blocks for a tannic backbone which is the source of resilience for a long-lived wine. Winemakers describe the wines as having freshness, purity and elegance overall.
2023 Harvest Updates
Read the vintage updates from 2023.
Vintage Quotes
“Fruit is showing deep color, complex flavors and aromas and good acidity levels, according to Brain. Yields varied from average-to-heavy in some areas. “I love the complexity of the vintage,” he said. “I think that the sub-AVAs will be quite distinct this year, truly revealing the appellation and soil type.” – Wine Institute
“Looking at the wines, the 2023s show remarkable purity and finesse while at the same time bringing beautiful depth and concentration.” – Jeb Dunnick
“is 2023 the vintage of the century, as the rumours might have it? Overall, the quality in 2023 is very high. After tasting through dozens of barrel samples, it’s clear that 2023 is a vintage where it was likely more challenging to make bad wine than good wine.” – VINFOLIO
“The 2023 vintage is outstanding – and the wines will appeal particularly to those with a classic palate. Given the late and long, cool growing season, many – if not most – of the wines have a distinct Bordelais quality, balancing pure Californian fruit with fresh acidity and elegant, nimble body – with “a sense of weightlessness”. – VINFOLIO
Related Articles
– Napa Valley Vintage Report – Vinfolio
– Cheers! Napa Valley winemakers say 2023 vintage could be best ever – Cornell Barnard, ABC 7 News
– 2023 Napa Valley Vintage: Winemakers Say It’s Superior – Nicole, MacKay, Somm TV
– Napa 2023 might be ‘the vintage of a lifetime’ – Sarah Neish, thedrinksbusiness.com
– California 2023 harvest report – Samantha Cole Johnson, jancisrobinson.com (login required to read article)
– 2023 Growing Season: The Napa Edition – Advanced Viticulture
Vintage Chart
Why this may be ‘best start’ to Wine Country harvest in 50 years – SF Chron
Harvest is wrapping up in Wine Country after an exceptionally long and cool growing season, and many winemakers say the vintage is on track to be exceptional. “It’s probably the best start that we’ve ever had that I can remember in 50 years,” said Andy Beckstoffer, who has grown wine grapes in Napa Valley Read the full article…
Napa Valley harvest report: Harvest winds down as growers praise quality
The 2023 harvest is winding down in most of the Napa Valley, as growers report outstanding grape quality. Read Jesse Duarte’s wrap up at https://napavalleyregister.com/news/community/star/napa-valley-grape-harvest-wine/article_db95d542-780e-11ee-8606-cf9a8fb86016.html
Last call for 2023 grapes in Napa Valley! Timothy Milos from RD Winery gives an update!
It looks like we are in the final stretch of what has been a very, very long grape growing season! Timothy Milos, from RD Winery, gives an update on the final grapes coming in and what he is seeing in the taste and nature of the grapes.
Napa Valley harvest report: A hectic week
It’s been a busy week for Napa Valley grape growers, who are bringing in the last of their 2023 fruit. Tom Rinaldi expects St. Helena growers to be done by Halloween. Correspondents further south offered similar assessments. Read the full report here.
