Tales of woe regarding the harvest in California's Napa Valley appear to have been premature.

Growers in the area were distraught at the timings of heavy rainfall, which firstly delayed the bloom of the vines in the spring and then destroyed fruits towards the end of the summer.

The result was that some estates were reporting reduced yield of up to 30 per cent, but Tim Mondavi, owner of Continuum, says the harvest has gone "from tears to glory" after the early tastings.

"What we found in this vintage were flavours that developed at lower brix [a measure of sugar content], giving us an opportunity to make truly elegant wines at lower alcohol levels," said Oakville Ranch Winery general manager, Paula Kornell.

Ms Kornell went on to explain that the experience of producing 2011 will serve all the growers well in future, referring to it as an "educational vintage".

Chris Phelps, winemaker at Swanson Vineyards, told Decanter last month that many of the grapes from the 2011 harvest were similar in style to those found in Bordeaux.