A handful of Napa growers met last week to prognosticate on how this upcoming harvest is shaping up. After an unexpectedly monstrous 2005, the expectations for 2006 are for an even, moderate and potentially exceptional year, says Virginie Boone of The Press Democrat.

The meeting took place at Hudson Vineyards in Carneros, where host Lee Hudson spoke on behalf of the Carneros AVA, saying he experienced one of the earliest bud breaks in his vineyard that he could remember, but that the vines caught up and he expects to harvest only 8-10 days behind average.

For Oak Knoll, Jim Verhey from Silverado Winegrowers, spoke of good balance and uniformity, expecting that he’ll start picking sauvignon blanc grapes the first week of September. He’s waiting to see how the timing shakes out for the reds.

Mary Hall, Vineyard Manager, Harlan Estate, located about 300-650 feet above Oakville, said she thinks she won’t start picking cabernet sauvignon until early October, probably late September for merlot.

Eric Titus of Titus Vineyards, speaking for St. Helena, said he has seen smaller clusters and berry size, and all in all expects to farm about 4 tonne per acre, a 20-25% decrease from last year’s monster loads, which should end up as “a lighter, higher-quality crop.”

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