Low fruitfulness and poor fruit set...why choose just one? As the tallies are coming in this harvest, one thing across the board seems to be clear: there just isn’t very much fruit out there. Our own management company, which operates predominantly in West Sonoma, is clocking in around 50% normal yield. While that number is a little extreme compared to other areas, low yield seems to be a common refrain up and down the state. How do we get to final yield? In order to get to the bottom of this, I want to break up yield formation into three chapters: fruitfulness, fruit set, and sizing. Let’s work backwards in time: Sizing: Beginning with berry sizing, sometimes you get through fruit set only to have berries put on minimal weight. Excessive water stress, heat events or periods of high evaporative demand (VPD, vapor pressure deficit) can reduce vascular water potential needed for berry growth and/or increase berry water loss from sizing fruit during the period from fruit set to lag phase

🍷 8,625 gallons of Dry Creek Valley Cabernet, with room to talk. As harvest activity ramps up, not every winery need has to be solved with another fruit contract. New on the WIN Marketplace is 2025 Dry Creek Valley Cabernet Sauvignon bulk wine from Lytton Manor Vineyard, with 8,625 gallons available. The wine is 100% Cabernet Sauvignon, currently stored at Redwood Valley Cellars, and the seller says samples are available, pricing is negotiable, and they’ll entertain buyers looking for a range of quantities. The vineyard sits between Ridge’s Lytton Springs East and West vineyards, and the seller describes the wine as showing deeply extracted fruit, dark berry character, pronounced tannic structure, and expressive aromatics. Minimal oak was used with the goal of rounding the finish rather than creating a pronounced oak impression. The wine is listed at 13.3% ABV, 3.71 pH, and 5.80 g/L TA. For wineries evaluating Cabernet needs beyond the incoming vintage, this is a sizable Dry Creek Val

There’s Still Time to Talk Cabernet Lytton Manor Vineyard has 2026 Dry Creek Valley Cabernet Sauvignon available and is inviting offers from interested wineries. The vineyard is projecting approximately 45–50 tons this season. Originally planted in 1988, the 12-acre site was replanted in 2019 with Cabernet Sauvignon clones 30 and 47 on 1103P rootstock. The property sits between Ridge’s Lytton Springs Vineyard East and West in Dry Creek Valley. There’s also flexibility when it comes to bringing the fruit in. The two primary blocks can be mechanically harvested, or the full vineyard can be hand harvested, with harvest costs handled by the buyer. When the listing was posted, the vineyard was just finishing veraison and the grower estimated at least another 30 days before harvest. For wineries still looking to fill a Cabernet need for 2026, this may be the moment to start a conversation. The grower also has 2025 Cabernet Sauvignon samples available for buyers interested in seeing what the

There is, for good reason, a lot of reporting right now on climate change and how it's affecting the grape harvest. Everywhere you look, wine regions are experiencing harsher-than-normal conditions. It would be easy to write a post about how hot it is and stop there. But, I want to pick out something else: this is a story of climate volatility, not just heat. A Cold Night in Bigfork, Montana This hit home for me in 2022, when I was asked to evaluate a future winery, and existing vineyard in the Bigfork area of Montana. Two years earlier, in 2020, the growing season had been warm, and the owners felt good about what climate change might mean for grape growing that far north. But, climate change isn't just hotter weather. It's climate volatility. In that same warm year, Montana got a sudden, early, catastrophic cold event. The weather through September and into early October 2020 stayed mild, highs in the mid-50s, with only two nights that dipped to freezing. Because of that, most of the

Smaller crop and exceptional fruit quality point to a promising 2026 vintage The Sonoma County winegrape harvest has begun in what may be the earliest start in the region's history. While weather conditions from the past winter through mid-summer are expected to result in one of the lightest harvests in recent years, healthy vines and lower crop loads are setting the stage for a vintage with exceptional concentration, structure, and character. The growing season got off to an early start with above-average temperatures in early March. This was followed by cool, windy, and rainy weather during bloom that reduced yields in many vineyards.  As the season progressed, moderate summer temperatures, ample soil moisture, and strong canopy growth have created favorable conditions across the county. With harvest having already started in some regions, several weeks earlier than last year, growers are anticipating another outstanding Sonoma County vintage. "The 2026 harvest is off to an enc

A Distinctive Cabernet Franc Opportunity As wineries continue evaluating fruit sources for the 2026 harvest, some opportunities offer more than just tonnage. Now available: Premium Cabernet Franc grapes from Napa Valley's Crystal Springs AVA, one of the region's newest appellations and an area quickly attracting attention for its hillside vineyards, volcanic soils, and distinctive growing conditions. Cabernet Franc has become increasingly important for wineries seeking both blending flexibility and standalone varietal programs. Combined with the unique terroir of Crystal Springs, this offering represents an opportunity to secure fruit from a region still defining its identity while delivering the quality and pedigree buyers expect from Napa Valley. As vineyard sourcing conversations continue through the summer, listings like this provide wineries the chance to secure distinctive fruit while availability remains available. View Listing Some of the most interesting opportunities in the

A Different Side of Napa Cabernet Some vineyard opportunities come with fruit. Others come with a story. Now available: Premium Cabernet Sauvignon from the Crystal Springs of Napa Valley AVA, one of Napa Valley's newest appellations and a region already attracting attention for its volcanic soils, hillside terrain, and distinctive growing conditions. Crystal Springs became Napa Valley's newest nested AVA in 2024 and is known as an all-hillside appellation along the western face of the Vaca Range. For wineries sourcing fruit for the 2026 harvest, opportunities like this offer more than access to premium Cabernet Sauvignon. They provide a chance to work with fruit from a region that is still establishing its identity and reputation, creating the potential to build compelling vineyard stories alongside future vintages. As vineyard sourcing activity continues through the summer, listings like this highlight why many wineries begin evaluating fruit opportunities months before harvest arriv

A 2026 harvest sourcing opportunity featuring Tempranillo, Grenache, and Touriga Nacional. As wineries evaluate fruit sources for the 2026 harvest, not every opportunity needs to fit the expected mold. While Napa Valley is often viewed through the lens of Cabernet Sauvignon, the region’s diversity can also create compelling opportunities for wineries looking to build distinctive red wine programs, explore Mediterranean varieties, or add depth and flexibility to future blends. Now available on WIN Marketplace: Premium Crystal Springs Napa Valley grapes for the upcoming 2026 harvest, including Tempranillo, Grenache, and Touriga Nacional. For wineries seeking fruit with both Napa Valley positioning and varietal distinction, this listing offers a timely opportunity to explore available grapes and connect directly with the seller. View Listing The WIN Marketplace is built to connect buyers and sellers across the wine industry, and grape listings like this show how the platform can help wi

A Look Inside THE ROOT: Two Varieties Worth Knowing In this year's edition of THE ROOT, we spotlight two unique Loire Valley grapes: Pineau d'Aunis and Grolleau Noir. Pineau d'Aunis is celebrated for its distinctive peppery spice and vibrant red fruit character, while Grolleau Noir offers bright acidity, fresh berry flavors, and remarkable versatility across sparkling, rosé, and still wines. These varieties are gaining attention for their ability to bring originality, complexity, and fresh opportunities to today's wine market. Their unique vineyard characteristics and expressive flavor profiles make them exciting options for growers and winemakers looking to diversify their portfolios. This is just one of several articles featured in our latest newsletter. Inside, you'll also find updates on innovation in plant health, plans for our new lab and future research facility, and the dedicated team helping drive these advancements. We hope you enjoy reading this year's edition. As always, w

A Narrowing Window by Steve Fredricks The California wine market has now entered a new phase of its correction cycle—one that is more nuanced and, for buyers, may be more consequential than the headlines suggest. The defining theme of this season is a narrowing window: a market that looks oversupplied on the surface but is quietly closing in on buyers who delay. While bulk wine gallons on the market have climbed to record levels, the number of gallons that meet buyers’ quality, vintage, and varietal needs are more limited. Vineyard removals are accelerating, not as a bluff or a paper exercise, but as a real reduction in the state’s long-term supply potential. At the same time, an unusually warm spring has pushed the 2026 growing season weeks ahead of schedule in virtually every region—compressing the calendar in ways that could catch an under-prepared buyer off guard. On the bulk side, sellers’ need for cash and/or tank space may expedite decisions to liquidate wine removing good bulk