The 2025 growing season was a complete change from what we were used to from 2023 and 2024. In these previous seasons we experienced our normal rainy April and May, but then when June came around, we ended up drying up completely. This is especially important for grapegrowing because that's the period when the vines go through bloom and set their fruit. Dry weather during fruit set yieds smaller berries which in turn yields a higher skin to juice ratio in reds and better concentration in the whites.
2025 on the other hand had an extremely wet June and July, and it wasn't until August that the rains finally stopped. We were fighting disease all summer long. We only had a couple of heat spikes in the 90s, but that wasn’t enough to make up for the rest of the dreary summer. The vintage would have turned out completely different if the rains hadn't stopped and we hadn't been granted a beautiful September and October.
The 2025 Chardonnay was barrel fermented in 2-year-old French oak barrels and is currently finishing up going through malo-lactic fermentation (meaning is has some residual carbonation as well.) The wine is exhibiting youthful fruit character which hasn't quite yet been balanced out by the roundness and maturity that barrel aging will give it. This is a wine which—due to the vintage—is of a completely different style than the 2023 that's on the list. This wine will be brighter and fresher even as it comes into its its best drink years. It'll still taste like Cadenza Chardonnay, but probably just be a little more food friendly.
The 2025 Merlot from our Block 4 was a real surprise for me. This is the block that we're continually working towards replanting due to the 2018 freeze event. We've layered hundreds and hundreds of vines in order to make up for the holes that Mother Nature pounded into our rows. The wet spring caused an overall drop in yields across all of our vineyard blocks, anywhere between 10 to 40%. But the additional vines kept our yield almost on par with average for this block. This wine is also just finishing up malo-lactic fermentation, and will taste much brighter than it will a year from now when we start to think about pulling it from barrels. We fermented this wine with a medium length maceration on the skins due to the inclement growing season. It will undoubtedly be more readily drinkable than the 2023 Resonance, probably a lot more on par to the 2021 Merlot that we had on the list last month.
All in all, I consider this a successful vintage here at Cadenza. It's never easy trying to grow great grapes in Pennsylvania, and every year comes with a different set of struggles and tribulations. I consider this vintage on par with 2021 and 2022. The wines will age gracefully for years and I hope you enjoy them for that long.
2025 on the other hand had an extremely wet June and July, and it wasn't until August that the rains finally stopped. We were fighting disease all summer long. We only had a couple of heat spikes in the 90s, but that wasn’t enough to make up for the rest of the dreary summer. The vintage would have turned out completely different if the rains hadn't stopped and we hadn't been granted a beautiful September and October.
The 2025 Chardonnay was barrel fermented in 2-year-old French oak barrels and is currently finishing up going through malo-lactic fermentation (meaning is has some residual carbonation as well.) The wine is exhibiting youthful fruit character which hasn't quite yet been balanced out by the roundness and maturity that barrel aging will give it. This is a wine which—due to the vintage—is of a completely different style than the 2023 that's on the list. This wine will be brighter and fresher even as it comes into its its best drink years. It'll still taste like Cadenza Chardonnay, but probably just be a little more food friendly.
The 2025 Merlot from our Block 4 was a real surprise for me. This is the block that we're continually working towards replanting due to the 2018 freeze event. We've layered hundreds and hundreds of vines in order to make up for the holes that Mother Nature pounded into our rows. The wet spring caused an overall drop in yields across all of our vineyard blocks, anywhere between 10 to 40%. But the additional vines kept our yield almost on par with average for this block. This wine is also just finishing up malo-lactic fermentation, and will taste much brighter than it will a year from now when we start to think about pulling it from barrels. We fermented this wine with a medium length maceration on the skins due to the inclement growing season. It will undoubtedly be more readily drinkable than the 2023 Resonance, probably a lot more on par to the 2021 Merlot that we had on the list last month.
All in all, I consider this a successful vintage here at Cadenza. It's never easy trying to grow great grapes in Pennsylvania, and every year comes with a different set of struggles and tribulations. I consider this vintage on par with 2021 and 2022. The wines will age gracefully for years and I hope you enjoy them for that long.
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