(TriCityHerald) -  An unusually hot summer didn’t seem to cut into Washington’s largest ever wine grape crop.

Some vineyards still are picking Riesling grapes, but for the most part, harvest wrapped up around Halloween.

Estimates put this year’s crop at about 240,000 tons. That’s about 10,000 tons more than what growers expected and would make this year’s crop about 14 percent larger than last year’s record harvest.

Grandview wine grape grower Dick Boushey said it was pretty close to a perfect year. The only thing that kept it from perfection was how many days the temperature went above 100 degrees.

Kevin Corliss, Ste. Michelle Wine Estates vice president of vineyards, said this year was one of the most pleasant vintages he’s experienced.

“It was a great year for all varieties, but certainly the reds are really going to stand out,” he said.

They had nice ripeness in Syrah, Merlot and the long-season Cabernet Sauvignon, Corliss said. As for the white varieties, Chardonnay grapes did well.

Some young vineyards had heavier crops than originally expected, with good quality, he said.

Winemakers brought in the rapidly ripening fruit as quickly as they could, Corliss said.

It was dry with only a little rain, and the crop came in with good maturity, Boushey said.

“The weather was so nice during harvest that it was almost scary,” he said.

Growers were prepared to deal with the heat after dealing with last year’s temperatures, said Ray McKee, the red winemaker at Chateau Ste. Michelle’s Canoe Ridge Estate winery.

“A lot of people grew their grapes very well,” he said.

At Klipsun Vineyard on Red Mountain, co-owner Patricia Gelles said her crop was slightly lighter this year compared with the last, but not by much. That likely was heat related, since Red Mountain is one of the hottest growing areas in the state.