For Jacquelyn Farrington, Wednesday was pretty much routine — right up until the phone rang late in the afternoon. The caller had spotted a roiling plume of smoke near the Six Sigma Ranch and Winery, where Farrington serves in direct sales and hospitality.
“They said ‘you need to get off the property right now,’” she recalled. “It was pretty scary.”
The Rocky Fire scorched 250 acres of Six Sigma ranchland before firefighters turned it away. The blaze never approached the vineyards.
On the north side of the fire, authorities issued an evacuation order for both the sprawling Cache Creek Vineyards and the smaller Noggle Vineyards & Winery as Rocky rushed toward Highway 20. Both operations are located near Spring Valley, with Cache Creek situated alongside the New Long Valley Road.
When spot fires erupted, spreading the fire across Highway 20 on Monday, the situation became perilous. But a team of bulldozers constructed a containment line east of the Cache Creek Vineyards, blunting the advance.
Debra Sommerfield, president of the Lake County Winegrape Commission, reported no known damage to either winery.
“Obviously the concern out of the gate is that everybody is safe,” Sommerfield said. “It’s about the people.”
Both Noggle and Cache Creek remain under evacuation orders.
Jason Moulton of Brassfield Estate Winery near Clearlake Oaks kept a close watch on Rocky as it whipped toward the highway. But he pointed out that vineyards are not nearly as vulnerable as tinder-dry wildland.
“If they have a cover crop, that’s a problem,” he said. “But you have to think of the way a vineyard is set up.”
He pointed out that few trees interrupt the rows of vines, as winemakers prefer to limit competition for water. They also tend to clear brush away from the perimeter so equipment has room to operate.
Of course, concerns remain, the biggest being for those directly affected by Rocky.
“We’ve been lucky to date,” Sommerfield said of the vineyards, “but you have to put it in perspective. People have lost their homes.”
“We still have everyone in our thoughts and prayers,” Farrington agreed.
A second concern is for the fast approaching harvest. Most of the county’s 35 wineries will begin collecting white grape varietals starting next week. Reds are generally three to four weeks from harvest.
However, Six Sigma plans to pick their Pinot Noir block today. At Brassfield, Moulton will also start on some varietals today.
“It’s my earliest harvest ever,” he pointed out.
The final concern involves the potential for smoke taint, but Moulton explained that for fruit to absorb any smoke, the vineyards must bathe in the haze and ash for several days at a time. Shifting winds throughout the fire prevented smoke from settling for long.
“At this time, smoke-related impacts to the area’s winegrapes are estimated to be minimal to none,” Sommerfield added.
Although acknowledging the situation could still turn, most in the wine industry feel a sense of relief. It could have gone much worse for the county last week.
“I feel completely safe coming to work,” Farrington said from the reopened Six Sigma tasting room. “The firefighters worked so diligently. They really protected us. They are amazing.”
