Mendocino County’s 2022 crush crushed records — tonnage up nearly a third despite a challenging year

Earlier this year, the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) released its 2022 Preliminary Grape Crush Report for Mendocino County. After challenging years of drought and heat waves, Mendocino County’s grape tonnage was up 31.1% at 61,479 tons compared to 49,909 tons in 2021. This is above average compared to the state of California, which in 2022 reported a 6.7% decrease at 3.62 million tons of grapes down from 3.88 million tons in 2021. 

And while Anderson Valley pinot noir often steals the show, it isn’t the most popular grape grown in Mendocino County – that’s chardonnay.