Harvest Approaches: The 2025 Season in Perfect Balance

In the vineyard, every year begins as a question. By September, the answer begins to take shape. For Weather Wines, the 2025 growing season has been a study in patience and precision—each shift in the weather leaving its quiet mark on the fruit as it slowly ripened in it’s Sonoma Coast vineyards.

At the turn of the year, winter arrived with generous rainfall, replenishing the soils and setting the stage for a healthy start. Spring moved slowly, cool and deliberate along the Sonoma coastline, with budbreak arriving a touch later than average. Early summer brought gentle warmth and clear skies, allowing the canopy to develop fully while clusters formed with even, consistent weight.

August carried the weather’s rhythm forward—warm afternoons shaped by Pacific breezes, nights holding onto the essential chill that characterizes the Sonoma Coast terroir.. The pace has been measured—no sudden heat waves, no urgent rush—giving the fruit time to mature with depth, color, and aromatic complexity.

Now, in September, the first blocks of Chardonnay destined to be Weather’s 2025 vintage  signal a turning point. The air is shifting—still summer in the sun, but with the first whisper of autumn in the mornings. Pinot Noir will follow when it is ready–fully expressing its coastal micro-climate. For Weather Wines, harvest is never a matter of rushing to pick, but of listening to the season until the fruit and weather align.

This philosophy—waiting for that perfect meeting point—has shaped every vintage, from the award-winning 2021 Weather Leras Vineyard Russian River Valley Pinot Noir earning a Gold medal and 94 points from Sunset Magazine to the earliest wines of this harvest. It is the reason our rows are walked daily in these final weeks, watching for that exact moment when balance is at its peak.

In the coming days, the vineyard will come alive with the work of harvest: the cut of shears in the early light, bins filled before the day’s heat, fermentations releasing the first aromas of the season. And when the weather holds, as it has this year, each cluster carries the promise of wines that will speak clearly of place, season, and the craft behind them.

As the fruit of 2025 comes in, Weather Wines remains guided by the same commitment that has defined us from the start: to craft wines born of the weather, shaped by the stunning Sonoma Coast terroir, and worthy of the moment when they are shared.

Explore our current releases—crafted from seasons past, each a reflection of the weather, the vineyard, and the moment they were made. Shop Weather Wines.

Fog, Sun, and Gold: 2021 Weather Leras Vineyard Pinot Noir

Some vintages feel destined. The 2021 Weather Leras Vineyard Russian River Valley Pinot Noir is one of them, shaped by the valley’s fog-laced mornings, sunlit afternoons, and the quiet discipline of the vines. This year, Sunset Magazine awarded it with a Gold medal and 94, honoring both the wine and the place that gave it life. This is the precise reason Weather Wines was started to make Burgundian varietal wines in those places where the microclimate is most perfect for these sensitive and expressive varietals.

The Russian River Valley is a study in contrasts. The Pacific’s marine layer drapes the land in cool, misted mornings, slowing the ripening and deepening the character of the fruit. By afternoon, sunlight spills across the rows, coaxing out vibrancy and nuance. This rhythm—cool to warm, shadow to light—is the heart of this Pinot Noir. 

In 2021, the balance of the growing season was near perfect. A dry growing season brought smaller yields, early ripening, and remarkable concentration. Summer held steady warmth, tempered by the nightly return of fog. By harvest, the fruit carried both energy and precision, the essence of a place in harmony with the weather.

In the glass, the 2021 Weather Leras Vineyard Russian River Valley Pinot Noir shows a pale ruby core with soft violet edges. Aromas of Bing cherry and pluot meet the earth’s whisper—wild mushrooms, dried rose petals, a trace of baking spice. On the palate, lively cran-raspberry and pomegranate give way to tea leaf and redwood, framed by a focused, linear acidity that eases into a smooth, silky finish after 14 months in 50% new French oak.

It is a wine that speaks quietly yet with clarity—of fog and sun, of patience and place. Each sip invites you deeper into the Russian River Valley, where weather is more than a condition. It is the craft.

For those drawn to the vineyard’s story, the 2020 Weather Leras Vineyard Russian River Valley Pinot Noir offers its own telling—proof that no two seasons speak the same language, yet each holds its truth. A vertical worthy of collection.

When the weather aligns, remarkable things happen.

Experience the 2021 Weather Leras Vineyard Russian River Valley Pinot Noir—available now in limited quantities. [Purchase here] and bring the Russian River Valley to your table.

 

Savor the Coast: The 2021 Sonoma Coast Chardonnay

At Weather Wines, we follow the forecast—not just in spirit, but in practice. Our wines are grown where the weather allows them to thrive, and nowhere is that more evident than along the rugged, breathtaking Sonoma Coast. The 2021 vintage of our Sonoma Coast Chardonnay is a reflection of the land and the climate that defines it—fog-draped mornings, sun-soaked afternoons, and crisp evenings that settle in just as the sky begins to blush.

Where the Weather Takes Us

This wine begins long before the first grapes are picked. It starts in the layers of marine fog that roll in from the Pacific, in the cool winds that temper the warmth of the afternoon sun, and in the drastic temperature swings that stretch each growing day into a slow, deliberate process. It’s this coastal influence—wild, temperamental, and deeply romantic—that gives our Chardonnay its signature tension and balance.

The Flavor Forecast

The 2021 Sonoma Coast Chardonnay opens with coastal energy—juicy ripe fruits, creamy vanilla notes. The palate is both refreshing and refined, with layers of lemon curd, white peach, and a touch of hazelnut that nods to the judicious use of French oak. The finish is long and lifted, underpinned by mouthwatering acidity shaped by the region’s signature diurnal shifts.

Crafted by Weather

Every choice in the vineyard and cellar—from harvest timing to fermentation temperature—is guided by the weather. The 2021 vintage brought a near-perfect growing season along the coast, with long, sunny afternoons that ripened fruit slowly and evenly. Cool nights preserved natural acidity, and minimal intervention in the cellar allowed the purity of the vintage to shine. The result: a wine that speaks fluently of its origin, with clarity and confidence.

The Experience: Savoring the Coast

This is a wine made for summer evenings—whether you’re watching the fog roll in over the Pacific Ocean or sipping barefoot on a back porch, wrapped in a blanket. Pair it with grilled halibut, Dungeness crab, or a peach and burrata salad under string lights. It’s a companion to the kind of moments that only coastal California can offer.

The 2021 Sonoma Coast Chardonnay is more than a wine—it’s a snapshot of a season, a place, and the ever-changing sky that shapes it. But like summer on the coast, it won’t linger forever. This is your last chance to stock up before the vintage fades into the fog. Atmosphere members receive complimentary shipping on 6+ bottles, along with exclusive perks year-round. Not a member yet? Join the club and enjoy the benefits of wherever the weather takes us. For the general public, shipping is $25 on 6–11 bottles, and on us when you order 12 or more. Let the weather take you there—while you still can.