After a growing season that kept us on our toes, the 2026 harvest is nearly complete, with high quality fruit coming into the winery.
An Early Start Leads to an Early Harvest Following a short, warm winter, the seasonal markers of budbreak and flowering arrived three weeks earlier than usual, suggesting harvest could've begun in late July. Cool summer temperatures then slowed ripening, extending the season and allowing the fruit to develop more gradually. We ultimately picked our Chardonnay blocks from August 13th through September 10th and Pinot Noir from August 24th through September 8th, and anticipate our Syrah harvest before the end of September. While this season is ahead of our typical harvest, the early start to the growing season meant the vines endured a standard number of growing days.
Harvest Work Continues While most lots have arrived to the winery, there is still work ahead. Our fermentations will continue through the next three to four weeks before the wine is moved to barrel for élevage over the coming 12-16 months.
A Note on the Nearby Fires Many have asked about the nearby Timber and Plaskett fires, which have had a devastating impact on wildlife and communities in the greater Big Sur area. Our hearts are with our friends and neighbors who have been affected by the fires. As for our vineyards, we are fortunate the smoke has not settled into the Santa Lucia Highlands. The earlier harvest helped ease concerns and allowed us to make picking decisions based on ripeness rather than the threat of smoke.
A Small Crop As in many viticultural areas around California, yields were down roughly 20–30% across a number of our vineyard blocks this year. While that means less wine will be made, the smaller crop allowed our vineyard and winery teams to move deliberately through picking and crush, with even greater attention given to each lot. There will be less 2026 wine to go around, but as always, our mailing list members will receive priority access when the vintage makes its debut in 2028.
From all of us at ROAR, thank you for your continued support of our small family winery. We’re excited to share the 2026 vintage with you in the years ahead.
Watch the video above for an inside look at harvest with ROAR.
