The premiere grape of the Napa Valley, the king grape Cabernet Sauvignon, is nearing completion of its 2015 growing season and will soon be harvested. In the photo, we are looking at some serious and mature looking Cab Sauvignon grapes in the St. Helena AVA. Within the next two weeks or more, these Cabernet Sauvignon grapes and those in other vineyards in the Napa Valley will be harvested. For those wineries harvesting sooner, they want a wine with more acid and less sugar. It is restrained over robust and bold that decides the picking. It is acid vs sugar. The longer the vine hangs on the vine, the more sugar there is in the grapes. Flavors intensify but so does the resulting alcohol. Some vineyards are thinned by dropping grape clusters, the fruit of the vine. This intensifies the flavors in the grapes and results in a bigger and bolder wine. With these harvest decisions, it is all about what style a winemaker or wine owner desires in Cabernet Sauvignon.
More on Cabernet Sauvignon in the Napa Valley