After a mild winter with little snowfall and an uneventful spring, we had only one inch or less of recorded rain in both June and July and were classified as being under “extreme drought” by the U.S. Drought Monitor. Although the hot, dry summer put some stress on vineyards, we enjoyed excellent yields and relatively low disease pressure which resulted in a very clean crop. These conditions also accelerated the ripening process. Overall, our vineyards produced berries of normal size with high sugars and low acids which yielded excellent reds with good concentration and ripe tannins.