Here is a round-up of what several growers reported this week:

Alexander Valley: Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc are finished. According to  Jim Murphy and Duff Bevill, Cabernet, Merlot and Malbec still need some more time and they are hoping that the weather holds out and there isn’t rain. Pete Opatz is working on Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc and Malbec.

Dry Creek Valley: Avtar Sandhu reports he has better than expected tonnage of Cabernet Sauvignon and will be wrapping up the balance of his harvest by the end of this week. Duff Bevill will continue to pick Merlot and Zinfandel this week and Malbec will be finished today. His Cabernet Sauvignon is just about ready.

Russian River Valley: John Balletto continues to pick Chardonnay and Pinot Noir. Duff Bevill is finishing up the last Chardonnay block this week. He reports that the fruit made it through the light rain last month with no Botrytis at all and great flavors. Pete Opatz is harvesting Zinfandel.

Sonoma Coast and Carneros: Steve Sangiacomo is still harvesting Pinot Noir and Chardonnay in Carneros and just beginning those varietals in the Sonoma Coast. Pete Opatz is also still harvesting Pinot Noir, Chardonnay and Merlot and “can’t believe Pinot is still out there.”

Marin: Mark Pasternak reports he is picking Pinot Noir and a few vineyards will not be ready until next week. Reisling will also be done this week while Chardonnay and Gewurtztraminer are still ripening. “Quality continues to be excellent.”

In speaking with several growers over the weekend, none have found any damage after the rains nine days ago.

Here is a round up on what will be picked this week by area:

• Alexander Valley: Jim Murphy will be harvesting Chardonnay this week. He mentioned that the rain last week probably was helpful in freshening up the vines.
• Knights Valley: Tim Carl finished up his Sauvignon Blanc and is in the middle of Chardonnay. Crop is about 10 percent higher than average.
• Dry Creek Valley: Brad Peterson picked 41 tons of Dry Creek Zinfandel on Saturday and is starting Cabernet Sauvignon today. Duff Bevill is picking Zinfandel on the western hills at the north end of the valley. Sauvignon Blanc is pretty much finished and Merlot will be in full swing this week. Chardonnay still needs some more time to ripen.
• Russian River Valley: John Balletto is harvesting Pinot Gris, Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay and Pinot Noir. Duff Bevill also states that they picked Russian River Pinot Noir last week at night and all the berries had great color, flavors and “wonderful quality overall.”
• Carnernos: Steve Sangiacomo reports that harvest in now in full force and Chardonnay is picking up.
• Sonoma Coast/Petuluma Gap: Joan Griffin says that she finished Pinot Noir last week and Syrah is ripening quickly–should be ready in a week or two. She reports that the Pinot was mature at much lower brix with great flavors and lower alcohol wines.
• Marin County: Mark Pasternak is finishing Pinot Noir for sparkling today and just beginning to pick the rest of the Marin Pinot Noir. He says “quality continues to be excellent and the bulk of Marin grapes will be harvested in October–not unusal for this cooler area.”

Jim Murphy of Murphy Family Vineyards says that he will be harvesting Chardonnay, Merlot and Muscat in Alexander Valley.

In Dry Creek Valley, Duff Bevill of Bevill Vineyard Management will be finishing up Pinot Noir in the Russian River Valley and harvesting Chardonnay while starting some Zinfandel and finishing up on Sauvignon Blanc. Avtar Sandhu of Sandhu Vineyards says that he finished his Sauvignon Blanc in Dry Creek Valley

John Balletto of Balletto Vineyards will be picking Pinot Noir, Sauvignon Blanc and Pinot Gris in the Russian River Valley.

In the Petaluma Gap and Sonoma Coast, Joan Griffin of Griffin’s Lair Vineyard reports that Pinot Noir is fast and furious with Chardonnay also underway. Most of the harvesting has been done at night with lights. This past Saturday the pick was foiled by thunder, lightning and off-and-on rain.

“This year our winemakers are picking more grapes at much lower sugar levels, says Griffin. “We’re seeing mature, intensely flavored fruit, with brown seeds, at lower sugars. This should mean some fantastic lower-alcohol Pinots for the ’09 vintage. Our crop is ‘average size,’ welcome after two years of light yields.”

Steve Sangiacomo of Sangiacomo Vineyards states that the harvest is just beginning for Pinot Noir and Chardonnay in Carneros.

In Marin County, Mark Pasternak of Devil’s Gulch Ranch says he will be picking Pinot Noir for sparkling wine and he will be harvesting Pinot from the Skywalker Ranch in Lucas Valley (as in noted filmmaker George Lucas). The quality is “excellent” for everything so far.