2023 Harvest Report | By Christian Palmaz

As of Oct 30th, 2022, the end of harvest.

By April 1st, I was a broken record asking Tina if anyone on the team had seen bud break in the reds.  “Nope, still nothing,” they’d answer.  Quickly pulling up my iPad, I’d show the team other vintages where cold and wet winters drug on delaying bud break, but they were already ahead of me.  Late starts are nothing unusual but we normally would make up the time with a fast moving spring or warm summer.  What was unusual about the 2023 vintage was that we would turn a 1 week delay into 3-4 weeks by the end of the vintage.  This year would be referred to by many as the methodical vintage, and just might be one of the best in recent memory.

VINTNER Q&A: What Christian Palmaz Believes About The Roles of People and Terroir in Winemaking

Miles Smith | May 19, 2023

VINTNER: Why did you enter the wine industry and what makes you love being a part of it and stay in it?

PALMAZ: Making wine is the ultimate pursuit of perfection. Through its process wine has infinite depth and dimension. After 25 years, I’m constantly humbled by the seemingly endless diversity of terroir this estate can offer our wine program. I’m not sure I will ever see the same vintage twice and that’s precisely why I’d spend lifetimes doing this if I could.

The Luxury Item: Christian Palmaz, Chief Operating Officer at Palmaz Vineyards

S09 E01 | May 2, 2023

Family-owned and -operated Palmaz Vineyards in Napa Valley is regularly voted one of the best wineries in the region and is known for fusing the time-honored art of winemaking and cutting-edge technology. Scott Kerr sits down with Christian Palmaz, COO at Palmaz Vineyards, to discuss his father Dr. Julio Palmaz’s journey from inventor of the balloon-expandable heart stent to vineyard owner. Christian also talks about the engineering marvel of the vineyard’s 18-story subterranean winery “Cave”, the smart technologies and big data analytics used to improve the winemaking process, expanding into cattle operations and creating a Wagyu beef enterprise, why Millennials are their best wine customers, and navigating through climate change and extreme California weather. Plus: Is AI technology eliminating the romance in winemaking?

Palmaz Vineyards | March 2023

We love to grill flank steaks for tapas. They are quick to fire up and are very flavorful and tender. Flank steaks also have the added benefit of a lower risk of overcooking. When paired with fresh zucchini and Chimichurri salsa this dish is celebratory of a coming Spring.  

Palmaz Vineyards | December 2022

Our 2019 Gaston Cabernet Sauvignon is a cornucopia of flavor, immediately transporting you to its harvest: dark fruit, tobacco, and wet granite captures the aroma of our caves during production. Chocolate covered tart cherries coupled with roasted espresso pop on the palate like a celebration. This is a full bodied wine with bold tannins that taper seamlessly into a silky and everlasting finish.

The Living Kitchen | Marni Elyse Katz | November 2022

Three Napa Valley Vineyards; Abreu Vineyards, Palmaz Vineyards, and Rudd Estate; have properties and processes that are as distinctive as their wines.

Palmaz Vineyards | November 2022

This entree brings together two of our favorite foods: squab and morel mushrooms. When served together, they make a perfect pairing for big, opulent Cabernet Sauvignons. The day before, you can prep the squab breasts, braise the squab legs and make the garlic and morel cream. Then, when guests arrive, you need only to concentrate on the risotto and the squab breasts.

A Cut Above

Written by Claire McArthur | Photography by Nicola Majocchi | Oct 12, 2022 | Original Article

Family-run ranch raises grass-fed wagyu in the High Sierra:  In the lush Genesee Valley at 3,500 feet elevation, black-horned cows graze in chest-high grass, with the granite peaks of the Sierra Nevada looming behind them. Surrounded by the Plumas National Forest, roughly 30 miles southeast of Lake Almanor, the historic Genesee Valley Ranch is a family-run operation with roots dating back to California’s Gold Rush. Today, the Palmaz family — known for its eponymous winery in Napa Valley — is taking the same fusion of tradition and technology used to create their estate cabernet to raise, harvest, and sell their grass-fed wagyu beef.

“Let’s make beef worthy of our wine,” says Florencia Palmaz, co-founder and partner of Palmaz Vineyards, about her family’s mission of revitalizing Genesee Valley Ranch. “Let’s take the same model of what we call estate growing in the wine industry — our wine doesn’t leave the property, not for a minute, until it’s fully finished and ready for consumers — and take on that task in the beef world. We call it ‘estate beef.’”

Navigating Abroad: Interview with Christian Palmaz

Season 2 | Sep 22, 2022

Lisa speaks with Christian Palmaz about using data to make the perfect glass of wine, conserve water, and free up winemaker’s time to make art!