Wine Spectator: Firefighters And Favorable Weather Slow Pickett Fire In Napa

Visitors to most of Napa Valley today will find blue skies, the energy of harvest shifting into gear and tourists exploring and tasting wine. But at the north end of the county, in the mountains above and east of Calistoga, the Pickett Fire continues to smolder. For most vintners, there’s been a sigh of relief, while a few are saying they’ll need to test their grapes for potential smoke taint. Meanwhile, investigators are looking into what started the fire. According to reports, they have interviewed two workers at Hundred Acre Wines, near where the fire started. But the state has not issued any official findings yet.

A week after the blaze began on Pickett Road, in the hills northeast of Calistoga, the fire remains at 6,803 acres burned and is now 33% contained. While it spread rapidly over the weekend, a marine layer moved into the region Monday night, bringing welcome humidity, which has helped firefighters contain the spread. Currently the fire is mostly in steep and difficult terrain, making it challenging to combat, but it remains far from vineyards and homes. Most evacuation orders have been lifted or changed to warnings. There have been no reports of injuries or damaged structures. Wine Spectator has the full story.

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