We've been doing this farming thing for a long time, and I've been making the wines for over two decades. So it's not surprising that the first question from wine lovers is, "How's the 2025 vintage?" (Actually, the first question people ask is, "How are you doing?" That's probably because I look like death warmed-over during harvest!)
Now let's be honest here. Trying to determine how great a vintage is going to be is like trying to pin down the career and lifetime contributions to society of a teenager you're trying to raise. There's some guessing (due to the environment, parenting, etc.). There's some hoping (because logically, supportive conditions bring good results). And there's some praying (usually in the middle of the night!).
Now as I've mentioned before, the 2025 harvest came in earlier than I had expected by at least 2 weeks. But once we found that the pH levels of the grapes we're going up, we immediately went into picking mode. Then we were blessed by a series of cool weather weeks where the nighttime temperatures were dropping significantly. This helped keep all these "ready-to-pick" varieties in somewhat of a holding pattern. Ultimately, this gave us breathing room and time to pick and choose what we wanted to harvest. Finally, the weather held until the very last pick of Barbera (the last Madroña grape expected), with rain falling the next day.
Across the board, the grapes this year were clean with really great numbers. Each variety seemed to achieve phenolic ripeness at lower brix (sugar) levels while retaining good acidity and pH levels. The color extraction is spectacular (which I must say is pretty normal for the El Dorado appellation), and the tannins seem rounded and more approachable (probably somewhat due to new pumpover regimes, see below). But of course, all this means nothing unless the flavors are there. AND BOY ARE THEY THERE!
From the Riesling, Muscat and Chardonnay to the Cabernet Franc, Zinfandel and Syrah, every variety seems to be showcasing great varietal characters at a super young age. The fermentations (with the lower brix levels) have been clean and easy, keeping the wines fresh and focused. We've even already finished the malolactic fermentations on several of the reds while sulfuring some of the whites. And it's only October!
But if you're looking for the takeaway right now on the 2025 vintage, I'm excited because the wines have great intensity and all packaged in a lower alcohol (due to the lower harvest brix levels) expression. Who knows. Maybe these teenagers will mature into balanced and focused beings, ready to contribute to the betterment of society (and our family's table!). We will see (or rather taste)!