08/26/2025
Since so many of you have reached out with well wishes and to inquire about how we’re doing (Thank you!) we just wanted to give you an update on the Pickett Fire that started near Calistoga last Friday afternoon. First and foremost, we are all safe and sound. All our friends and neighbors are too, though the fire continues to move and smolder.
Currently the fire is at almost 7000 acres and is 15% contained. But while we are feeling very much out of harm’s way after three sleepless nights, CalFire personnel and equipment are still here to mop up and monitor any hot spots.
The Pickett fire is not currently threatening any of Howell Mountain, though it is far from extinguished. And of course, it is only August, so there are two more months of fire season in wine country to go...
Many of you have inquired about the fire's potential effects on the 2025 vintage, and all we can say now is that we just don't know. Smoke's impact on grapes is incredibly complex and fickle, and the science is still being done, with few clear correlations that we can rely on. While wildfires are a natural and essential part of Northern California's ecology, events at this catastrophic scale and intensity are new, so we are still learning.
Given the fire's proximity to us, we are concerned (if also optimistic), and will be testing for the presence of volatile smoke phenols soon.
As those of you who have been with us for a while now know, we will not bottle any wine that is below our high standards of quality. Nor will we manipulate a flawed wine in an attempt to remove the smoke, as these processes invariably strip the wine of its character as well. Our covenant with you, our customers, is of the utmost importance to us, even at the expense of our own survival.
However, if we are to lose the '25 vintage, this would be the third vintage out of the past eight that we have lost to fire, making our future here feel rather tenuous.
Thank you all for your thoughts, prayers, love and support – we feel blessed to care for this land, to share it and the incredible wines it produces with you, and we truly appreciate you all. We just didn't want you to worry... we are okay, and we'll be okay.
