We are on the tail end of bloom in many of your vineyards already. This has been one of the fastest bloom periods we can remember and about 5 days earlier than the 25-year average. Conditions during bloom were ideal with warm temperatures and dry days. 

This means that the harvest countdown is on! In just 90 days we will be picking grapes for sparkling wine and in just a little bit over 100 days grapes for still wines will be coming off the vine.

So far, the growing season has been tracking closely with long-term average temperatures. Growing Degree Days—a key measure of heat accumulation—is right in line with the 25-year average and nearly identical to last year. We did see two days in June where the high temperature topped out at 94 degrees. There have only been 4 other years in the last 25 where such high temperatures happened so early in the year (2003, 2015, 2016 and 2021).

Precipitation, however, tells a different story. While the overall water year (which begins in October) is only slightly drier than average, April and May have been significantly below normal. Typically, we receive about 5 inches of rain during those two months, but this year we’ve seen just 2.5 inches. 

LEIGH BARTHOLOMEW
Director of Viticulture

Results Partners
Vineyard Managment

CHO WINES
Chehalem Mountains AVA

Bloom has officially begun at Cho Vineyards, and with it comes a milestone we’ve long anticipated: the first-ever Chardonnay harvest from our estate is just around the corner.

Planted with intention and patience at high elevation 1,000 ft in the Chehalem Mountains, these Chardonnay vines have taken root in volcanic soils with a story to tell. Now, as bloom sets the stage for fruit set, we’re watching our inaugural clusters form — a quiet, thrilling reminder that something beautiful is on the horizon.

Our first estate Chardonnay will be crafted into a traditional method Blanc de Blancs, a sparkling wine made exclusively from Chardonnay grapes. True to the traditional method, just like our award winning Blanc de Noirs and Brut Rosé from high elevation Pinot Noir, we’ll age this wine on lees for several years to build texture, finesse, and complexity — with a projected release in 2030.

Our Pinot Noir and Pinot Gris vines, including our Pinot Noir planted at our Founders Block,  have been pruned to two buds in their third leaf to give them another year to establish those deep roots for future harvests to come.

It’s a long road from bloom to bottle, but that’s the kind of story we love to tell — one of patience, elevation, and purpose.

Stay tuned as we continue to document this journey from vine to vintage.

Lois Cho
CEO / Owner
CHO Wines

RIDGECREST VINEYARD
Chehalem Mountains AVA

The vineyard is in its growth phases right now, with lots of shoot length, and clusters just beginning to show flowers. The warmth of the upcoming weekend and week will definitely push us into "bloom," where most of the flowers of the grape primordia will emerge and get pollinated, which will determine the crop set for the vintage. The warmth and dryness of the timing is ideal, as it's harder to pollinate when it's raining. We are looking forward to a great 2025 harvest!

WYNNE PETERSON-NEDRY
Winemaker / Owner
Ridgecrest Wines

SOTER VINEYARDS
Yamhill-Carlton AVA

An elegant start to what could be an amazing vintage: having just finished flowering in most blocks I can confidently say we are well on our way.  Only mother nature truly knows what is in store for us for the rest of the growing season, but I can say that so far we have all the signs that this could be (has the potential) to be another great season for the history books.

Chris Fladwood
Winemaker
Soter Vineyards

BLACK DOG VINEYARD
Yamhill-Carlton AVA

We are at bloom and officially certified organic!  While farmed organically since inception in 2014, we just finished the paperwork a couple of weeks ago, had our inspection at Black Dog and received our USDA organic certification. Proud to continue this stewardship of the land.  110 days till harvest!

Mark Proden
Owner / Winemaker
Black Dog Vineyard