Harvest season commences in California during the cooler summer, sparking optimistic sentiment among farmers.
California Wine Harvest of 2025: A Season of Encouragement and Challenges
As the California wine harvest of 2025 approaches, vineyards across the state are showing promising signs of a quality vintage. However, the season has not been without its challenges.
In the Santa Cruz Mountains, the fruit quality is encouraging, with high acids, restrained sugars, and well-lignified stems, making 2025 an especially promising year for whole-cluster fermentations. Jasmine Hirsch, farming her family's vineyards in Cazadero, echoed the sentiment that the long, lovely period from start to veraison to now usually foretells high quality.
However, the Pickett Fire near Calistoga, though nearly 90% contained as of 2 September, has raised concerns about potential smoke taint for some vineyards and wineries. Barrett Anderson, winemaker at Spring Mountain in Napa Valley, noted that one of the Howell Mountain vineyards may have been exposed to smoke this year and will be sent for testing.
Fruit chemistry in Paso Robles is also encouraging, with acids holding and flavors concentrating in balance due to the absence of heat spikes or prolonged drought stress. Yields in Paso Robles have rebounded to normal levels, with vines setting a healthy crop that appears neither excessive nor stressed.
However, Paso Robles producers have been heavily impacted by oversupply and soft sales. Labor, such as visa denials for overseas interns, has also been unsettled. Jeff Brinkman, director of winemaking at Rhys, mentioned that the region is behind the 2024 harvest but ahead of the long, drawn-out 2023 harvest.
In Sonoma County, harvest is only just stirring, with the first reds now in tank at Centennial Mountain. Inland and higher-elevation sites like Alpine and Skyline are progressing normally, while cooler, coastal vineyards like Horseshoe remain late with smaller clusters and lighter yields. Winemaker Catherine Kistler of Occidental noted that the long, fog-laden summer required extra canopy management to counter the humidity of the persistent marine layer.
On the West Sonoma Coast, some wineries began picking Pinot Noir this week, though the bulk of the harvest is still to come. Even with the weather largely cooperating, the 2025 harvest faces other strains, including market pressure and labor issues. Morgan Twain-Peterson of Bedrock Wine expressed concern about the abundance of fruit and the need to rightsize to demand, with a lot of unsold fruit right now.
The first harvest of red wines in Napa Valley typically begins in early September, aligning with common harvest times in similar wine regions. However, the Pickett Fire in the Calistoga area has been the most disruptive moment of the season so far for some producers in Napa Valley. In August, there was a modest warm-up that helped push grapes towards a slow, steady ripening, keeping many sites a week or more behind last year's pace.
The Santa Cruz Mountains season has been described as 'yo-yo', with a warm spring followed by a cold and foggy July, and a warm-up in August. The month of July in Sonoma, Napa, and much of the Bay Area was unusually cold and foggy, leaving some growers apprehensive about potential delays.
Sparkling houses such as Roederer Estate, Scharffenberger, and Lichen are already in full swing in Mendocino, but still wine is some way off. In Mendocino County, yields are a little lower than average on the west side of Mendocino Ridge, especially in some younger blocks planted in 2022.
Derek Baljeu, winemaker at Knights Bridge in Sonoma County, described the 2025 vintage as one that doesn't want to be rushed. Inland and higher-elevation sites like Alpine and Skyline are progressing normally, while cooler, coastal vineyards like Horseshoe remain late with smaller clusters and lighter yields.
Overall, the California wine harvest of 2025 promises to be a season of encouragement and challenges. With careful management and a watchful eye on potential issues, winemakers across the state are hopeful for a quality vintage.
