The 2026 vintage growing season is well underway in Napa Valley. Thanks to warm spring temperatures, the vibrant yellow mustard that once blanketed the vineyards has largely faded. In its place, we’re seeing the exciting arrival of budbreak, with fresh green leaves emerging on the vines at Biale. The unseasonably warm temperatures have put us approximately 3 weeks ahead of last year.
Recent visitors to the winery may notice that a tall cover crop still stands between alternating vine rows while the other interrow has been mowed. This is intentional. Seeded every year after harvest, cover crops play several important roles – increasing organic matter and biodiversity in the soil, improving soil structure, increasing water permeability, and, when legumes are part of the mix, increasing Nitrogen in the soils. Strategically, with this warm spring we have left one active inter-row of cover crop to draw some energy away from the vines, helping to slow their growth during this early stage and, hopefully delay harvest a bit. Warmer locations, such as St. Helena, are likely to be ready early this year and, logistically, having a bit of delay in the Oak Knoll will ensure we’re not buried by fruit on the crush pad come harvest time.
Mowing one inter-row is also part of the strategy. While the risk of frost has been minimal so far, it is still present. Should colder temperatures arrive in the coming weeks, mowing mitigates this risk. A cover crop growing into the vine cordons will allow frost to settle on the taller vegetation and adjacent buds or nascent shoots, destroying the potential crop. Mowed inter-rows allow for cold air drainage.
Although we have not received much rain in the past weeks, there’s no cause for concern – soils are still saturated from the winter rains. The Oak Knoll District has already received around 20 inches of rainfall this season, with more expected. Current conditions suggest we are in a strong position heading into the rest of the growing season.
One of the most remarkable aspects of farming is that every year tells its own story. Much is left to be written about the 2026 vintage but, so far, we’re setting up for another successful year.
