2025 Year in Review

As we reflect on the past year, we want to begin by saying how truly grateful we are to have you as part of the Coyoacan Vineyards family. Your continued support means everything to us. While 2025 brought its fair share of challenges, it was also a year of growth, learning, and memorable milestones here on Howell Mountain.

We began the year hands-on in the most literal sense - hand labeling and seal-waxing our second vintage, the newly bottled 2022 Cabernet Sauvignon. Fortunately, we only had a little over 400 bottles to get through, making the task both manageable and rewarding. A mild winter followed, allowing us to focus on work around the property and house, including installing owl boxes throughout the vineyard to help deter gophers from damaging our vines.

March marked pruning season, along with our first Howell Mountain Vintners & Growers Association (HMVGA) tasting event in San Francisco. It was a pleasure pouring our wines and meeting so many new friends. By April, bud break began - always an exciting and hopeful moment as we look ahead to what the season may bring.

In May, we launched our newly updated website and e-commerce store, just as the vines began flowering. That same month, we attended Taste of Howell Mountain at Charles Krug Winery - the largest tasting event hosted by HMVGA. If you haven’t attended before, we highly recommend adding it to your calendar next year. It’s the one place where you can taste the very best Howell Mountain wines in one place.

Summer remained unusually mild, allowing the grapes to mature slowly and develop beautifully. Veraison finally arrived in August, though it also coincided with the start of the Pickett Fire at the base of the mountain in Calistoga. Thankfully, we experienced only a few days of smoke, and after thorough testing, we were relieved to be advised that there was no smoke taint in our vineyard. Our hearts go out to the wineries who were not as fortunate and suffered losses to their vines or fruit.

September brought an exciting new chapter at the house as we transformed a former tool room into a Speakeasy - a project we had been dreaming up for some time. In the vineyard, sugar levels were still hovering around 21 brix by the end of the month. Thanks to the mild summer, we knew patience would be required to reach the optimal 24 - 26 brix.

October tested our nerves with unseasonal rain, requiring careful and timely biodegradable fungicide sprays to prevent mold. Thankfully, by the end of the month, the grapes were ready for harvest. We were pleased to see a higher yield than expected, particularly from our Cabernet Franc block, now in its third leaf. Although it flowered late, it delivered a solid crop. This year, we co-fermented it with our Cabernet Sauvignon, but we’re excited to see what next year brings. With a bit more volume, we may have the opportunity to ferment it separately - either to blend or possibly even bottle as a new varietal. Watch this space.

November brought us back together with the Howell Mountain community at the HMVGA Harvest Tasting at COPIA in Napa. Behind the scenes, we also began preparing for bottling our 2023 vintage, purchasing labels, branded corks, wax, and bottles in anticipation of blending and bottling very soon. We were especially delighted to complete the Speakeasy just in time to welcome our family from Mexico City for Thanksgiving.

And just like that, 2025 is coming to a close.

Thank you for being part of our journey and for your continued support of Coyoacan Vineyards. We wish you all the very best for the Holiday Season and look forward to sharing another year on Howell Mountain with you. Happy 2026 to you and your loved ones!

Rodrigo Enriquez - Chief Farming Officer