(NapaValleyRegister) - This past year was one of extremes. It was the driest year in 117 years in Texas; it was the coldest April to June ever in Washington and Oregon, with wet conditions above normal in the two states. Last September was the warmest on record in Oregon and in California. Globally, the year was the ninth warmest on record. Professor Gregory Jones, research climatologist from Southern Oregon University, spoke to a group of grape growers at Andy Beckstoffer’s Rutherford Ranch in mid-June. He talked about his study of climate data from 131 AVAs throughout the Western United States, which includes 49 in the North Coast area of California. He also referred to his September 2010 paper, “Spatial Analysis of Climate in Winegrape Growing Regions in the Western United States,” published in the American Journal of Enology and Viticulture. In addition to Jones, the authors are Andrew Duff, Andrew Hall and Joseph Myers.