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"We would worry that if we had a warm year and a low crop level we'd end up with excessive sugar and tannin development and a very early harvest," said Jason Haas of Tablas Creek. "Higher yields mitigate against excessive sugar and tannins, which is great," he said, mentioning the compound that gives a dry and bitter finish to red wine. The early harvest raises concern, however, for growers that rely on extended "hang time," the stint grapes spend on the vine. Many winemakers say time on the vine leads to complex flavors and a sense of place, called terroir. In Lodi, Layne Montgomery of m2 makes zinfandel with mature flavors and relies more long hang times. He's planning for harvest three weeks ahead of normal. ("Whatever the hell normal is anymore," Montgomery said.) And the schedule gives him pause. "I need as much time in the vineyard as we can get to get the great flavors," he said. "It's a little worrisome that things are looking so early." But Montgomery's syrah grapes come from Amador County in the Sierra Foothills and have not endured as much heat. That vineyard is on a similar schedule to last year. And Haas expects to harvest his Rhone grapes in Paso Robles about a week ahead of last year's season. If August weather goes as expected, "we should be right in line with what we saw last year," said Haas, who describes the 2012 vintage as "excellent."
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