(WFP) - It was a busy harvest spanning a 2.5-month period with just enough time for crews to catch their breath after picking one variety before moving onto the next. By the third week of October, all the grapes from the 2016 crop were off the vine in Trefethen Family Vineyards’ fields at the southern end of the Napa Valley.

Jon Ruel is CEO of this Oak Knoll District vineyard and winery which also grows eight other varieties on the valley floor – Chardonnay, Merlot, Riesling, Pinot Noir, Cabernet Franc, Malbec, Petit Verdot and Sauvignon Blanc.

In his 13 years of growing wine grapes, this past season was unlike any other he can remember – and not just because the harvest started unusually early when crews began picking the first Pinot Noir grapes for the lower-sugar sparkling wines.

Their vines began the annual regrowth very early this year, aided by the return of normal amounts of rainfall after several years of drought. Starting in December, the rains continued into April, filling soil profiles.