2025 Washington State Vintage

The Washington State Wine Commission described 2025 as a textbook season. Winter was wet with mild temperatures, and growers saw budbreak just a little earlier than historical averages. Spring turned relatively dry. Seth Kitzke of Upsidedown Wine, sourcing from the Yakima Valley, told Decanter that the spring warmed up quicker than anticipated and was pretty dry, which expedited the vines through bloom and fruit set and required serious attention to detail early on. He also reported lacking the moisture usually present in his northern-facing sites, which meant intervening earlier than usual. Summer was warm but not too hot. Kitzke said the warm spring had him worried about a hot year, but that the season tapered off into a very average year that was just consistent. He recorded only a handful of days over 100 degrees, or 37.7 degrees Celsius, with no big stretches of high heat, so the vines never seemed to fully shut down. That combination of an earlier fruit set and steady conditions, he said, produced amazing depth and flavors early, with fruit tasting good since the start of August, which he called unusual. Harvest began the third week of August. September temperatures ran above average. As temperatures cooled in late September into October, the commission reported that it provided continued hang time for those who wanted it, which is the source of the extended hang time the commission credited for quality. Volumes were the story on the other side of the ledger. The annual Grape Production Report, compiled from information provided by all Washington State wineries and growers, recorded 108,000 tons in 2025, down 28 percent year over year. Kelley connected the ease of the season to the wider contraction, saying the relative ease of harvest was welcome as the state continues to see a decline due to the downturn of the global wine industry. Individual sites saw sharp shortfalls: Kitzke reported yields at his Tremasi Vineyard on Red Mountain running really low for Syrah, and suggested the warm spring gave Syrah a harder time.

• Wet winter with mild temperatures, then budbreak slightly earlier than historical averages
• Spring was relatively dry and warmed faster than expected, expediting bloom and fruit set
• Summer was warm but not too hot, with only a handful of days over 100 degrees reported in the Yakima Valley
• Harvest began the third week of August, September ran above average, and cooling from late September into October extended hang time
• Production came in at 108,000 tons, down 28 percent year over year
• Syrah yields ran really low at Tremasi Vineyard on Red Mountain, which Kitzke linked to the warm spring

The variety table shifted in 2025. Cabernet Sauvignon remained Washington's top variety at 24,063 tons, or 22 percent of total production, but Chardonnay moved into second place at 17,911 tons, or 17 percent of the total, ahead of Riesling. Syrah, Merlot, Sauvignon Blanc and Pinot Gris followed. Together those top seven varieties accounted for 85 percent of the crop. The most notable structural change was the color balance: red and white varieties came in nearly equal in terms of tonnage, a meaningful move for a state where reds made up 55 percent of the crop the year before.

• Cabernet Sauvignon led at 24,063 tons, 22 percent of total production
• Chardonnay moved to second at 17,911 tons or 17 percent, ahead of Riesling
• The top seven varieties accounted for 85 percent of the crop
• Red and white varieties finished nearly equal in tonnage

The steady conditions produced one genuine curveball, which was that varieties stopped ripening in their usual sequence. Kitzke told Decanter that Cabernet Franc colored up very early and that its phenolics ran ahead of both Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot at his sites, with two picks of Cabernet Franc already in the door. He said there seemed to be no rhyme or reason to why some varieties were ready before others, and that growers had to throw the typical picking order schedule out the window and trust their palate instead. The wider point behind it is that phenolic ripeness was not lagging behind sugar accumulation in 2025, so the usual sugar-driven pick calendar was a poor guide.

• Cabernet Franc colored up very early, with phenolics ahead of Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot at Upsidedown Wine
• Varieties did not ripen in their usual sequence, forcing growers to pick by taste rather than schedule
• Phenolic ripeness kept pace with sugar accumulation rather than lagging behind it
• Fruit was tasting good from the start of August, which Kitzke described as unusual

These are early assessments. The commission published its 2025 production report in April 2026, only months after the wines were made, and the wines themselves are still young. Kelley said growers told the commission it was one of the best harvest seasons in recent memory in terms of weather and growing conditions, and the commission characterized the fruit as ultra-high quality on the back of sustained sunshine and extended hang time. Kitzke, mid-harvest, said 2025 had been beautiful and that the combination of an earlier fruit set and consistent conditions made for amazing depth and flavor early. What is not yet established is how the wines age or how they should be cellared, and no source consulted offered drinking windows.

• The Washington State Wine Commission credited sustained sunshine and extended hang time for ultra-high quality fruit
• Growers reported one of the best harvest seasons in recent memory for weather and growing conditions
• Upsidedown Wine reported amazing depth and flavor developing early from a consistent season
• No drinking windows or cellaring guidance are available this early for the 2025 vintage