Lake Chelan 2024 Vintage Wrap
The 2024 growing season for Lake Chelan’s vineyards was one for the books—filled with challenges, surprises and lessons that will leave a lasting impression on the region’s wine community. From a bone-chilling cold snap in January to a warm, dry summer with heat waves that tested water management strategies, winemakers and vineyard teams demonstrated resilience and ingenuity at every turn. Despite the difficulties, including reduced yields in some vineyards and late harvests, the season also delivered remarkable fruit quality, bright aromatics, and exceptional promise for varietals like Chenin Blanc, Cabernet Franc, and Gamay Noir. Read on as we dive into three firsthand accounts from local winemakers, exploring how the 2024 vintage unfolded and what it means for the wines soon to grace your glass.
Tom Pettigrew
Amos Rome Vineyards
How would you describe the 2024 growing season overall?
The 2024 growing season was great from a weather standpoint and overall quality of fruit. However, our vineyards were severely damaged by a freeze in January 2024 which resulted in a very light crop. This was on the heels of a freeze in December 2022 that greatly reduced the yields for the 2023 crop. Having two damaging freezes two years in a row resulted in cumulative damage to the vines. Though the vines themselves remained healthy, they simply didn’t produce fruiting buds of any quality. Result: our normal harvest would be about 100 tons; 2023 harvest was 46 tons and 2024 harvest was 18 tons.
Were there any standout moments or challenges that shaped this year’s harvest?
Dealing with loss of crop was the biggest challenge. The quality of the fruit that did ripen was outstanding and we are very excited about our Cabernet Franc and Cabernet Sauvignon that we were able to harvest.
Were there any specific varieties that thrived (or struggled) this year?
It is interesting to note that the most cold-hardy varietals were red wine grapes – Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc. Pinot Noir did reasonably well and Chardonnay also did pretty well – and you’d expect that with both of those varietals. What was not expected was how much damage our Riesling and Grüner Veltliner sustained. We had no crop at all for both of those and they are typically very cold hardy.
What stood out about the condition of the fruit as it came off the vines?
Largely due to our detailed farming methodologies that we have been able to continually dial in with more precision, the clusters that come out were of very uniform quality and ripeness. This is difficult to achieve and requires constant attention to canopy, fruit load and irrigation. Each year we gain more understanding of the unique characteristics within each block and are able to refine what we do row by row and section by section within each block.
How are the characteristics of the 2024 vintage shaping up in the cellar so far?
The wines are shaping up really nicely in the cellar right now. The whites are in tank getting ready for bottling in 6 weeks and the reds are all in barrel where they will stay for 18 months.
Are there any wines you’re particularly excited about from this year’s harvest?
Cabernet Franc, for sure.
Did this growing season inspire you to experiment with anything new in the winemaking process?
No. We really stuck to our winemaking principles for the 2024 season because we really did not have a crop to experiment with.
How do you think the 2024 vintage will compare to previous years?
I think that the 2024 vintage has all of the characteristics to be an outstanding vintage from the Lake Chelan AVA. We had heat at the right times with no major surprises during the growing season. We were able to ripen the fruit to where sugars, acids and tannins were all balanced and I think that the wines will show that.
Are there any trends or lessons from this season that will influence your approach in 2025?
I am really excited about our Cabernet Franc from 2024 both our red and rosé. The Cab Franc ripened perfectly and came in with great numbers and flavors. Our rosé is crisp and bright with Cabernet Franc characteristics and will be perfect for summer sipping. The red wine will continue to mature in barrels for the next 18 months and I am really excited to see where it goes.
What do you hope Lake Chelan wine lovers will notice and appreciate about this year’s wines?
The scarcity of wine from the AVA. While 2024 was a great growing season it will be marked by the cold snap in January that really decimated crops. As an estate winery we saw a 70% loss in crop and we were not able to make wine from some of our favorite and most noteworthy varietals. That said, if we achieve what we expect in terms of quality, this very rare vintage will be a great vintage. The Lake Chelan AVA is representative of true vintage winegrowing with pronounced differences from year to year. In retrospect the 2024 vintage might be the one that puts the Lake Chelan AVA among the world’s really special wine regions.
Is there a particular memory from this growing or harvest season that will stick with you?
The fruit that we had was amazing. The sad part was that we did not have enough of it. And the dreadful feeling in the pit of my stomach as I watched the thermometer drop last January is one that I hope never to repeat again. We’ve had a “once every fifty years” freeze two years in a row now, so hopefully this won’t happen again for another one hundred years!
Shane Collins
Fielding Hills
How would you describe the 2024 growing season overall?
2024 was a great vintage. There were some scares with the cold snap we had in January of 2024 that put everyone at risk of some bud damage, but that didn’t seem to hit us too much. We had normal crop loads. Our Estate Vineyards are in Mattawa and it didn’t get as cold for as long as it did in other parts of the state like Chelan and Walla Walla. We reviewed everything as a whole in early January of 2025 and all the wines are great.
Were there any standout moments or challenges that shaped this year’s harvest?
Every year has something challenging to deal with. We had another hot and dry summer with multiple days over 100 degrees at our vineyards on the Wahluke slope. The main challenge is knowing how much water to apply to keep the plant cool, but not provide so much water that when the temperatures cool back down, the vines take off growing again from ample soil moisture when we are trying to get them to shut down vegetative growth and focus on fruit ripening and flavor development.
How did the climate during the growing season affect grape development?
I think some of the heat we had in August delayed our harvest overall. Some growing areas were early, whereas our vineyards were a little later to pick than in 2023. It is common when you have a lot of heat for the vine ripening to slow down and the plant goes into survival mode. I always prefer a longer ripening period and want to avoid the grapes getting sugar-ripe with no flavor development.
Were there any specific varieties that thrived (or struggled) this year?
I was kind of blown away with how much fruit there was on the Chenin Blanc. We expected to have some bud damage as that variety is a bit more susceptible to cold events, but it was the opposite with this variety.
What stood out about the condition of the fruit as it came off the vines?
The fruit was in great condition. The only variety we grow that has more challenges is the Chenin Blanc, as it is prone to sour rot, being a big and tight clustered variety, and I was shocked to not discover one cluster where I could find sour rot this year. That is a testament to our great vineyard team and their cultural practices for managing the vines.
How are the characteristics of the 2024 vintage shaping up in the cellar so far?
Great concentration in the reds and nice bright aromatics in the whites.
Are there any wines you’re particularly excited about from this year’s harvest?
The Chenin Blanc, Cabernet Franc, and Carmenere.
Did this growing season inspire you to experiment with anything new in the winemaking process?
We actually have a label dedicated to this for the purpose of wine experimentation. It is called the Concentric Wine Project. This year we did a white Cabernet Sauvignon and a blend of Tempranillo and Barbera that we co-fermented with native yeast in 500 liter puncheons. They are great wines, different from our core brand wines, and a lot of fun to make.
How do you think the 2024 vintage will compare to previous years?
I think the quality of the wines from color, concentration, and structure best resemble our 2019 and 2020 vintages, which were exceptional.
What do you hope Lake Chelan wine lovers will notice and appreciate about this year’s wines?
I hope that they will notice that all the wines we make are fault-free, expressive of the site we grow them on, and have typicity to the variety.
Is there a particular memory from this growing or harvest season that will stick with you?
I think what sticks with me the most is how much fun we all have on the crush pad processing grapes, rocking out to yacht rock music, and that everyone helps out from beginning to end.
Julian Shaver
Hard Row to How
How would you describe the 2024 growing season overall?
Unfortunately 2024 was an extremely disappointing year for our vines. The year kicked off with some extreme cold back in January that swiftly extinguished our hopes for a great growing season. You may remember how cold it was during the weekend of Lake Chelan Winterfest. We saw temperatures as low as -10F in the vineyard and that caused a lot of damage to the vines. Fortunately, no vines completely died but the cold killed almost all the buds throughout the vineyard. Which means we had virtually no grapes from our estate vineyards in 2024.
Were there any standout moments or challenges that shaped this year’s harvest?
There was a bit of smoke in the valley from the fires in Stehekin and mitigating smoke taint in the wine was probably the largest challenge. There are several wine making decisions that can be made to limit the amount of smoke present in finished wine.
How did the climate during the growing season affect grape development?
We did harvest grapes from some other vineyards in the valley that were not as affected by the cold. We harvested Gamay Noir and Viognier from our friend Jon Wadkins (We call him Farmer Jon) and I noticed that acidity seemed to hang on.
Were there any specific varieties that thrived (or struggled) this year?
I think that Viognier really stood out this year. Viognier is prone to over-ripening and we typically aim for a lighter, fresh, more aromatic styling that benefits from picking before the grapes are too ripe, so the slightly cooler growing season allowed us to really pick exactly when we wanted to.
Were there any adjustments to your usual harvest methods or timing?
Yes, picking was a little later than average as acidity seemed to remain high later into fall. We do a carbonic maceration Gamay Noir that we pressed earlier than normal during fermentation due to concerns of smoke in the wine.
What stood out about the condition of the fruit as it came off the vines?
Harvest looked great. Nice bright acidity in the whites and rosé wines.
How are the characteristics of the 2024 vintage shaping up in the cellar so far?
Great aromatics and acidity.
Are there any wines you’re particularly excited about from this year’s harvest?
Yes, our carbonic maceration Gamay Noir is looking awesome and should be a really fun wine to enjoy this Summer.
Did this growing season inspire you to experiment with anything new in the winemaking process?
I think pressing the Gamay Noir earlier was an experiment. Last year, the wine went through whole-cluster fermentation after carbonic maceration but this year we pressed the wine immediately after carbonic maceration. This will produce a wine that will be lighter in color and body and more akin to a Boujelais nouveau style wine.
Were there any notable pests, diseases, or environmental pressures this year? How did you manage them?
Cold damage was the main factor this year.
As we look back on the 2024 vintage, it’s clear that this year was a testament to the strength and adaptability of Lake Chelan’s wine industry. The unique climate challenges shaped not only the growing season but also the wines, which are already showing incredible promise in the cellar. Whether it’s the bold concentration in reds or the vibrant acidity in whites and rosés, there’s much to look forward to when these wines are released. While the harvest was lighter for some, the quality shines through, highlighting the region’s dedication to excellence. For Lake Chelan wine lovers, the 2024 vintage represents a blend of resilience, innovation, and the unwavering passion that makes this AVA truly special. Raise a glass to the stories behind each bottle, and stay tuned for more unforgettable flavors from this extraordinary season!
