As California harvest begins, the crop is looking light

Owner of Bozzano and Company, Anthony Bozzano, confirmed a local winery harvested Santa Rita Hills Pinot Noir for its sparkling program on 30 June – arguably the earliest start to harvest in living memory.

Other vineyards on the Central Coast are tracking three to four weeks ahead of schedule.

“The crop is significantly ahead of schedule,” said Bozzano, adding that for still Pinot Noir, some growers are expecting fruit to be ready by the end of July. Growers in the coastal hillside AVAs, like the Santa Lucia Hills, report their Pinot is already completely through veraison. “All in all, this looks like an early harvest, and also a light one.”

While other California regions are ripening closer in line with historical averages, growers and brokers statewide have reached the same consensus: between shatter, reduced cluster sizes, vine removals and mothballing, the 2026 harvest will be a particularly small one.

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