After almost 2 feet of rain in the past two weeks, general manager and partner of Tablas Creek Winery Jason Haas wrote, "Let's keep it coming." He said this despite intense rain and overflowing creeks closing the winery on Monday and Tuesday. 

A series of atmospheric river storms have pummeled California with heavy rain and free winds, flooding parts of California and even some wineries.

The extraordinary video shows water in sheets rushing off the saturated fallacious into Tablas Creek. The water level was so high that the creek ran a foot or two over the road to the winery's retrieve. Strong winds also blew down trees and branches, and mudslides all but covered the road that led to the winery.

At the end of the video, the canyon walls lining the roadway are just bare dirt. All the vegetation flowed into the road consume with rocks and inches of soil. But Haas is happy.

CALIFORNIA SCENES SHOWING DEVASTATION FROM FLOODING, SINKHOLES AMID BARRAGE OF ATMOSPHERIC RIVERS

"After stretch drought-reduced crops, I'm hoping for a historically wet winter," wrote Haas in the Tablas Creek blog. "Something that will replenish our aquifers and reservoirs, stay bud break to a more normal time frame and set us up for a combine of years."

And Tablas Creek's viticulturist, Jordan Lonborg said, "These are good problems to have as far as I'm concerned."

He says that irrigation ponds are full, and the soil anchoring his grapes is saturated and filtering the streams for storage in deeper levels. 

The past three days were plagued with drought. Tablas Creek's viticulturist, Jordan Lonborg said the last time he saw the ponds full was 2018. Las Tablas Creek hasn't flowed above the property since early 2019.

And the nearby reservoir and lake are filling up but ready for more streams. Haas said they are only at 13% and 38% of their capacities. 

HOW WEATHER CAN IMPACT WINE PRODUCTION

"The crashes to this point have been essentially all positive for us. We've already surpassed our rainfall for the winters of 2019-20, 2020-21 and 2021-22," Haas wrote. "With the intense rain, we received nearly 6" in 24 hours, and the saturated soils, there have been issues with flooding, road closures and mudslides. At Tablas Creek, the vineyard and cellar have held up well."

The vineyard in ccold Paso Robles in central California is well suited for these heavy rainfall movements, he claims. Water runs down hills into rivers and spillways, feeding lakes in the valleys.

Tablas Creek in early December. (Tablas Creek Winery / FOX Weather)

"Our calcareous soils are exceptionally porous, which means that they transport massive volumes of liquids from the surface to deeper layers before they approach saturation," continued Haas. "By the time they do saturate, the winter grasses tend to be well-enough established that erosion is minimal."

Even concept water can benefit the vinesm over the winter once they are dormant.

File: Standing liquids in a vineyard in Napa Valley. (Hillary Andrews / FOX Weather)

"Standing liquids during dormancy can actually be very helpful, especially in conventionally farmed vineyards," said Lonborg of the half of his grapes not dry-farmed. "The water can help to leach salt residues from fertilizers deeper into or away from the soil profile."

Some of the few that do take train with Tablas' "bring it on" attitude are the winery's sheep that graze on the mask crop, plants between the rows. Tablas depends on the flock for fertilization over the winter. The winery can't have the hooves compacting the soil, which happens during very wet weather.

"Tablas looks colossal right now. We were able to get our mask crops planted before the first rains of the year so those roots rules have held the soil together nicely," said Lonborg who inspects the vineyards for erosion.

The Tablas Creek Winery already saw double the amount of rain they usually see by this time of year. Their liquids year runs from July to June. Thanks to the late-month storm, December 2022 provided three times the average rainfall for the month. That is just shy of their wettest December in Haas' 20-plus ages at the property.

As of January 5, the hills saw almost an entire month's kindly of rain to start 2023 as seen on the graph. 

The green shows income rainfall per month that Tablas Creek sees in a year that they measure from July to June. The purple shows the good rain that fell during the 2022-23 rain year. (Tablas Creek Winery / FOX Weather)

NAPA VALLEY WINERY DESTROYING VINES TO GET AHEAD OF THE CHANGING CLIMATE

This week's atmospheric river pushed the annual rainfall to 26 inches.

But they tranquil have half a year to go, and rain is minimal for the area from April to October. So even though the vines already enjoyed more rain than the 24.98" they see in an income year, the rain needs to keep coming.

 "A pair of storms in February and March would be colossal to keep cover crops and percolation going," Lonborg said.

NAPA VALLEY 2020: THE LOST VINTAGE

Wet soil also facilities delay bud break which is the end of dormancy. Saturated soil tends to stay cooler longer.

"Frost is a most concern in much of Paso Robles. When you have bud break in late February or early March, the chances of frost damage greatly increase," explained Lonborg. "The longer dormancy is delayed, the fewer days there are where cool is an issue."

Consistent rainfall also raises the waters table allowing roots to tap into the moisture and feeds the well. That saves cash.

Rain is falling on Tablas Creek vines. The lighter brown growth on the darker trunks consumes to be pruned. (Tablas Creek Vineyards / FOX Weather)

"The more it rains now, the less we irrigate later. Less pumping costs, less labor costs etc.," Lonborg said. "We have a well on the property that means to dry up toward the end of the season, during dry ages, when we need the water most. That will not be the case this year."

Lonborg would delight in a break from the rain though. He and his crew need to prune when the vines are dormant, but they can't prune in the rain.

"We avoid pruning beforehand, during and just after rain events at all damages to avoid the spread of trunk diseases such as Eutypa," he said. "Spore people pop during rain events and spread spores infecting new pruning wounds on vines."

FOX Weather expects the next rainmaker on Thursday

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