The Napa Valley Grapegrowers announced Thursday that bud break, the first stage of vine growth — where vines emerge from their winter dormancy and begin to produce shoots that will one day bear grapes — has begun in areas like the southern Carneros region. Vines in the area are typically the first in Napa County to begin the growing season and are among the first to be harvested each year.

Ushered in by a weeks-long bout of unseasonably warm and dry weather, this year’s bud break launches the growing season roughly two weeks earlier than the 2017 season, according to Garrett Buckland, president of the Napa Valley Grapegrowers, in an announcement from the group.

Buckland noted that in addition to the warmer climes of the past weeks, replantings have also taken place in vineyards throughout the county over the last several years, resulting in younger vines that tend to undergo bud break earlier.