When Abundance Becomes a Challenge: Napa’s Toughest Year Yet

Let’s be honest about 2025: It hit hard.

After several generous vintages, we grappled with oversupply, resulting in unsold grapes, surplus wine inventory, reduced demand for new fruit, and substantial vine removals to cut losses.

Even in a region as resilient as Napa Valley, these pressures added weight to an already complex economic year. Wineries that hoped to focus on innovation or long-term improvements instead found themselves back in the weeds managing inventory, navigating shifting demand, renegotiating contracts, and juggling the day-to-day realities that keep the lights on.

This is the undercurrent of winery life. Some seasons feel visionary and full of possibility, but most require grit, adaptability, and a willingness to tackle problems no one anticipated. Whatever the year brings, you show up—especially when it’s hard, especially when plans get derailed.

If you’re working through a rough patch right now, you’re not alone. This is what building in Napa actually looks like: Responding to abundance as much as scarcity, fixing what needs fixing, and staying focused on the long game.

Finish the year strong. The valley will find its rhythm again, as will we.