If 2025 was the vintage of patience, 2026 was the vintage in a hurry. Everything from bud break to the last pick arrived weeks ahead of schedule, and the crop that came with it was the lightest this estate has brought in since 2011. And yet the fermenters are telling a very different story than the scale. Early, light and intense. Here is how it happened.
October 2025 | Written by Jessica Palmaz
One of the pillars of Palmaz Vineyards is the family legacy we have created: three generations live and work on the property, enjoying the literal fruits of our labor. And as the third generation grows up, they continue to become more interested in the business and finding their future place.
The 2025 vintage at Palmaz Vineyards marks yet another benchmark in a string of increasingly refined and well-balanced years. With an uncommonly smooth growing season, cooperative weather, and near-flawless fruit at harvest, 2025 is shaping up to be a vintage remembered for both its grace and composure.
“They’re getting hands-on experience of what a winemaker will typically do. Sitting at the table, trying to come up with what their final product is,” Keller said.
When planning a trip to California wine country, instead of reserving a restaurant for every meal, consider dining at a winery. Many vintners believe that food is integral to a tasting and offer robust culinary programming that enhances the pours. A seafood or protein pairing can highlight the minerality of a sauvignon blanc or the subtle nuances of a cabernet franc. Full-time chefs with pedigreed backgrounds oversee these savory journeys that often involve a plant-to-plate ethos at vineyards with extensive culinary gardens growing alongside the grapes.
If you’re seeking an immersive gastronomic affair in a beautiful setting, head to one of the following eight wineries. Note that all of these places require reservations, but these incredible winery experiences are worth it because they go above and beyond, providing a meal and a lifelong memory.
There’s plenty of talk about how artificial intelligence has the potential to simplify workflows for office employees across a range of industries, but its uses may reach much further. As one Napa County vintner can attest, A.I. may have a place in agriculture.
Palmaz Winery, located on Napa County’s Mount George, has started using artificial intelligence to produce prized wines after a quarter-century of doing it the traditional way. The goal is to reduce the time winemakers spend on tedious tasks that distract them from the essence of their craft, where they feel they’re truly expressing themselves through the product.
If 2023 is remembered as one of the cooler vintages in recent memory, then 2024 will certainly stand out as one of the warmest. Although these temperature differences are measured in fractions of a degree, their cumulative impact can shift the harvest by weeks.
With a dome of fluorescent lights shining on ever-changing computations displayed in different colors, the 110,000-square-foot cellar at Palmaz Vineyards looks more like the bridge in “Star Trek” than a winemaking facility.
VINTNER: Why did you enter the wine industry and what makes you love being a part of it and stay in it?
PALMAZ: Making wine is the ultimate pursuit of perfection. Through its process wine has infinite depth and dimension. After 25 years, I’m constantly humbled by the seemingly endless diversity of terroir this estate can offer our wine program. I’m not sure I will ever see the same vintage twice and that’s precisely why I’d spend lifetimes doing this if I could.
