The latest post in our vineyard blog series provides an update on our Black Sage Bench replants and the current growing season. With the first signs of veraison just beginning throughout the Okanagan Valley, we take a look at what we’re expecting from the 2025 vintage. It’s been a lot of hard work to get here, but we’re excited to share the progress we’ve made.
Over a year after starting our replant program, things look much different as you drive past our estate vineyards on Black Sage Road. Our team finished planting the 10 remaining acres this spring. All of our vineyards are now dotted with young vines, carefully protected by cardboard vine guards. They won’t yield any fruit until their third year at the earliest, but they require just as much attention – if not more.
Farming Young Vines
Our focus right now is on making sure the young vines establish strong, deep root systems. Instead of pushing the vine to produce fruit earlier, we’re encouraging it to focus its growth into the ground. This is important for the vine’s long-term health and longevity, and makes it more resilient to extreme weather events in the future. To accomplish this, we’re paying careful attention to how much water each vine receives.
It’s a balancing act that requires precise monitoring and irrigation. On the one hand, we want to avoid stressing our young vines. This is different from vines that are in production. Mild water stress through deficit irrigation results in more concentrated fruit, giving density and weight to our wines. Young vines, in contrast, are thirstier: they have high water requirements and need ready access to water, especially as temperatures get hot. Too much stress can weaken the vines, stunting their development and ultimately shortening their lifespan.
Too much water is just as problematic. It discourages the root system from developing deep into the soil – after all, everything the vine needs is right at the surface of the vineyard. Excess water also leads to excess growth, just like when you overwater your garden. This can delay lignification, when the plant’s shoots harden and become woody, leaving the vine more prone to cold temperatures. And more moisture in the soil also means more potential for weeds, with the resulting competition potentially delaying vine growth.
The 2025 Growing Season
It’s a much different feeling walking through our vineyards this year. Block after block has bounced back in a way that felt unimaginable just over a year ago. Canopies are full and healthy – and there’s an impressive crop, too. In many blocks, we’ve just finished crop-thinning. We want to keep yields low, of course. But we also want to ensure our vines are strong enough to support and carry the fruit load, as they continue to recover from last year’s winter damage. This isn’t the time to push them.
We’re cautiously optimistic about the 2025 vintage. With a balanced crop load, our vines appear healthy and capable of carrying fruit to full ripeness. The growing season has also been encouraging so far. It’s been warm but without excessive heat spikes, similar to high-quality vintages like 2016. At this rate, we’re on track for an earlier-than-average harvest, with potential for exceptional flavour development. Ultimately, though, we have to wait and see what the season gives us.