St. Supéry harvests Napa fruit

By Sasha Paulsen

NAPA VALLEY, Calif. -- St. Supéry Estate Vineyards and Winery harvested 19 tons of Sauvignon Blanc grapes early on Aug. 16, its first pick and the first on record of Napa Valley fruit for the 2023 harvest season.

Sauvignon Blanc fruit, harvested early on Aug. 16 from St. Supéry’s Dollarhide Ranch in Pope Valley, northeastern Napa Valley — Submitted photo.

“Just before midnight on Aug. 15, the winery’s vineyard team gathered at Dollarhide Estate Vineyard in northeastern Napa Valley for the harvesting of Sauvignon Blanc from three different blocks of the Napa Green-certified St. Supéry estate property,” its announcement read.

After the fruit arrived at the Rutherford winery, the team toasted the start of 2023 harvest.  

This follows news yesterday that Napa Valley’s Matthiasson Winery had harvested its first grapes, Grenache and Syrah, from vineyards in Yolo County. The grapes, destined for a rosé, were delivered to Napa’s Bin to Bottle for processing.

The St. Supéry team toasted the arrival of the grapes – and the start of harvest 2023 in Napa Valley - Submitted photo.

A statement from St. Supéry read, “The 2023 growing season began with a long, cold, wet winter that persisted late into the year. This caused the phenological events (bud break, flowering, fruit set, bunch closure, veraison) of the vine to be later and therefore a later start to the harvest. With the cool growing season, Napa Valley is experiencing a slower-paced, even-ripening year, with intensity and depth of flavor in the fruit.”

The 2023 Napa Valley harvest is on.

Sasha Paulsen is a journalist and novelist who lives in Napa.