California 2010 – lean and mean?

Could it be that the 12.5% alcohol California table wine, a regular feature of the 1970s, will return?

That's quite a stretch, yet the 2010 growing season is, as of now, one of the coolest on record. Unless temperatures rise soon, and continue through the next two months, the 2010 California vintage might be the most 'European' since the early 1980s, producing wines with elegance, low alcohols and lean fruit, yet disappointing those accustomed to high levels of ripeness and concentration.

For a state known for producing flamboyant, heady wines from sun-ripened vineyards (and vintners accustomed to receiving high scores...