MENDOCINO CO., 10/30/26 — Barra of Mendocino completed its 2026 grape harvest on October 2, following a season that delivered a smaller-than-expected crop of exceptional quality. The early harvest, which began August 19 with Moscato, was characterized by smaller berries and clusters, favorable weather and an unexpected challenge from two herds of Tule elk that discovered the winery’s estate vineyard.
For the first time since the vineyards were established in 1955, approximately 30 elk descended on the home ranch, Redwood Valley Vineyards, feeding on ripe Pinot Blanc and Pinot Noir grapes, with Pinot Noir particularly attractive to the animals. The Cervus canadensis nannodes species also ate tender cordons on newly planted Pinot Noir vines, damage that will delay those vines coming into full maturity by at least a year (click here for video).
The herds arrived approximately two weeks before harvest and remained throughout most of the picking season, disappearing just two days before it concluded. Barra attempted to deter the visitors with motion-activated lights, fencing, an electric fence and efforts to herd them away using all-terrain vehicles. Only when the winery’s nighttime machine harvesting kicked into gear were the elk dissuaded from staying in the vineyard to munch on the vines.
“We tried to find some humor in the elk situation,” said Martha Barra, who owns the winery and directs all of the farming operations. “Unfortunately, this may have been a situation where fifty years of farming organically attracted this wildlife.” Martha and her late husband Charlie were early proponents of organic viticulture in Mendocino County, committing to organic protocols before “organic farming” was a recognized term.
Tule elk are considered a conservation success story, in relative terms, having been hunted nearly to extinction in the 1800s to a population of approximately 5,700 animals across the state of California today. The name is derived from their favorite habitat, the tule marshes of California’s Central Valley—although today they’re found throughout diverse landscapes.
Smaller clusters, excellent quality
Across the vineyards, berries and bunches were generally smaller than usual, while shatter — the failure of some flowers to develop into berries — was particularly pronounced in Chardonnay, reducing bunch weights. The resulting crop was considerably lighter, but the absence of measurable rain and extreme temperature swings during harvest helped preserve fruit quality.
The winery crushed Moscato, Chardonnay, Pinot Blanc, Pinot Noir, Sangiovese, Zinfandel, Cabernet Sauvignon and Petite Sirah for its Barra Reserve and Girasole Vineyards lines of wine. Two hundred olive trees on the Bella Collina vineyard were harvested on October 9.
New equipment and a more efficient harvest
One of the season’s most welcome developments was Barra’s first use of a Pellenc bow-rod harvesting machine. The equipment picked grapes and transferred the fruit directly into gondolas already loaded on the truck destined for the winery, streamlining the movement of grapes from vineyard to crush.
Approximately 35% of the vineyard acreage was machine-harvested at night. Hand-harvesting crews began work as early as 4 a.m., allowing the picking teams to avoid the heat and the fruit to be picked and delivered to the winery while still cool.
Mendocino County vineyards are leaders in organics—and quality
Martha Barra was recently a guest on Dan Berger and Daedalus Howell’s KRSH California Wine Country radio show, where Berger recognized Martha and the Barra operation as exemplars of how Mendocino County is “having a moment,” as he said.
“Forty years ago, Mendocino was the major contributor of excellent grapes that made exceptional blends by Napa and Sonoma wineries,” Berger said. “Today the best of that fruit now stays at home and produces wines that carry a Mendocino County designation and are produced by Mendocino County wineries… Just as importantly, as leaders in organic farming, they’ve encountered every type of adversity possible and have retained their identities. It has been an amazing transformation that many U.S. consumers have yet to realize.”