2025 Harvest Report | By Christian Palmaz

The 2025 vintage at Palmaz Vineyards marks yet another benchmark in a string of increasingly refined and well-balanced years. With an uncommonly smooth growing season, cooperative weather, and near-flawless fruit at harvest, 2025 is shaping up to be a vintage remembered for both its grace and composure.

A Growing Season in Harmony with the Vines

From the outset, 2025 presented ideal growing conditions. The year opened with a mild and relatively dry winter, with average Q1 rainfall across the estate measuring approximately 8.2 inches—based on observations from gauges at the 300-foot and 1400-foot elevations. This modest precipitation helped set a restrained tone for the season, encouraging focused shoot growth and modest canopy density without excessive vigor.

Temperatures climbed steadily into summer, but the vintage remained remarkably temperate overall. Compared to recent years, 2025 tracked slightly cooler than 2024 and closer to 2023 in terms of seasonal averages. What set 2025 apart was the lack of prolonged heat spikes—a sharp contrast to 2024’s 8 days above 100°F. The result was a longer, steadier ripening curve, which gave the winemaking and viticulture teams the confidence to hang fruit longer and wait for optimal flavor development.

Solar exposure in 2025 was consistently stronger than in either 2023 or 2024 across all three quarters. Despite the slightly lower air temperatures, this higher solar radiation supported consistent photosynthesis, driving flavor and color development without inducing heat stress.

Growing season lengths were among the most extended in recent history: 209 days for Cabernet Sauvignon blocks, 193 days for Chardonnay, and over 190 days for both Muscat and Riesling. Even Grenache, typically an early ripener, hung for 173 days. These durations correlate directly with the moderate temperatures and balanced sunlight — confirming that 2025 was defined more by patience and equilibrium than urgency or thermal extremes.

A brief rain event late in the season brought just under an inch of precipitation during the final phase of harvest. Thanks to proactive leafing in the fruiting zone, clusters dried quickly, and the fruit was brought in with no measurable impact on sugar accumulation or skin integrity.

A Vintage of Precision and Purity

Though many vineyard blocks were thinned to one cluster per shoot, the fruit arrived at the winery with exceptional concentration and balance. Aromatics were beautifully structured, and early tank samples revealed remarkable clarity of expression. As winemaker Doug Mitchell observed:

“The fermenters are tasting incredible—vibrant, clean, and beautifully structured. The mild summer with a warm finish at the end was perfect for flavors and Brix. We didn’t really have any challenges with Mother Nature. This one’s shaping up to be another great vintage.”

Thanks to cooperative conditions and the support of both FILCS and VIGOR technologies, cellar work proceeded with calm focus. Fermentations yielded beautiful color extractions during cold soak and extremely well-structured aromatics. Fruit integrity remained exceptional, with no weather-driven triage or selective harvests required.

Context Among the Vintages

Compared to recent years, 2025 was modestly cooler than 2024 and notably more even in its thermal profile, offering more predictable ripening timelines. Rainfall in Q1 was slightly below the 2000–2025 historical average, while Q2 and Q3 tracked near normal, punctuated only by the late-harvest storm.

What distinguishes 2025 is how its extended growing season mirrors the gentle tempo of the vintage. The combination of higher-than-average solar exposure and moderate temperatures created an environment where fruit evolved slowly and gracefully. The resulting wines are expected to show heightened aromatic complexity and structural finesse — a hallmark of vintages allowed to ripen under calm, measured conditions.

Conclusion

Palmaz Vineyards’ 2025 vintage is a triumph of balance. It benefited from ideal timing, precision-focused viticulture, elevated solar exposure, and stress-free cellar execution, all against the backdrop of a historic run of well-crafted vintages. As we begin aging the first barrels, we are excited for what this vintage promises to reveal in bottle—both in its youth and for years to come.

Cheers to another season well lived in the vineyard!