Six Weeks Post-Budbreak: Shoots At or Approaching 1st Wire

Finished removing doubles today, shoots at or near 1st wire.  Normally would be at this point 3 weeks after budbreak, but colder weather after budbreak slowed things down considerably - a good thing this year, given budbreak was so early.  No damaging frost, yet.  Vines look uniformly healthy, with 2-3 developing flower clusters.  Good weather expected to continue.

March 2015 Season-to-Date Heating Degrees and Rainfall

Heating Degree Days:

2015 is the earliest season start in recent history, about 3 to 4 weeks early, due to early March average daily temps above the critical 51F level.

Rainfall

Rainfall during the critical dormant season through March was only 1/2 inch less than normal, while areas outside the Willamette Valley suffered through one of the driest winters on record.