A very early harvest produced powerful wines with sturdy tannins. The growing season was extremely long and cool, producing a large crop. During ideal warm and dry weather, Harvest began late, yielding wines with deep layers of fruit and a sweet middle-palate. Bloom and berry set were affected by cool temperatures and rain in late May, resulting in a reduced crop. Normal summer temperatures were followed by ideal harvest conditions.
Wines are rich and resilient.
The resulting smaller crop and smaller berry size yielded tannic, full-bodied wines for consumption within a decade. The growing season was dry, cool and moderately long. Showing great structure, the wines are generous and intense. In 1986, still another early bud break led to an even longer growing season than the previous year. Softer, more delicate fruit flavors resulted, with excellent levels of sugar and acid.