2025 Harvest Recap

FROM MINI BYERS AND VINCE VIDRINE

The Shape of the Season

There is a moment—sometimes brief, sometimes lingering—when the vineyard exhales. When the last bins are pulled from the field, when the final press load falls silent, when the air in the cellar shifts from the heady heat of fermentations to something cooler, calmer, more watchful. That is where we find ourselves now.

This year’s harvest at Cowhorn asked for patience, intuition, and no small amount of faith. The Syrah came in with the kind of concentration that is never loud but always certain—dark fruit wrapped in shadow, tannins with the quiet insistence of a hand resting on your shoulder. The Viognier, as ever, offered its effortless radiance: stone fruit, citrus blossom, the subtle weight of summer stored in each cluster. Together, the two brought both edges of the season into sharp relief—its depth, its grace, its contrast.

In the Cellar

This past week, our 2025 harvest season officially came to its close with the pressing and barreling of our final red fermentations. The cellar has shifted into its winter cadence—the quieter rhythm of topping, analysis, and the collection of small, necessary, often invisible tasks that keep the wines safe as they begin their long arc toward becoming themselves.

We’re also taking the time to taste. To listen. To hold each young wine in the glass and see what glimmers of the year still rise to the surface. These early tastings are something like reading shadows—imperfect, suggestive, full of promise. They allow us to dream forward.

On the Farm

Out in the vineyard, Jesus and his team are already turning toward winter. The pace is steady, measured—matching the season’s own slow descent. The gardens and rootstock nursery have been tidied. The irrigation canal has been cleared of its summer overgrowth. The vineyard itself is entering its final stages of senescence; as soon as the last leaves fall and the shoots turn fully brown, we will begin pruning.

Applying BFD500

One of the final acts before winter fully settles is the application of BD500. Out in the vineyard, as the light fades earlier each day and soil life begins its seasonal retreat, we stir the preparation into a vortex, then reverse it again and again until the mixture comes alive with rhythm. It is then carried out and sprayed across the vineyard. This simple, almost meditative task helps strengthen the soil’s vitality, grounding the farm for the coming months of rest and regeneration. It’s a quiet ritual, but one that feels deeply connected to the pulse of the land.

This part of the year is quiet but never still. It’s the work of preparing, anticipating, and setting the stage for what comes next