If you’ve ever grown a tomato plant, you know the general arrangement. You put something in the ground, give it a little attention, hope the weather cooperates, and try not to take it personally when things don’t go quite as planned.

Now imagine doing that across a vineyard, with an entire growing season riding on it.

At Lanae Ridge Vineyard, 2026 brought its share of challenges from Mother Nature, reminding us that every growing season has its own story. Harvest arrived earlier than ever, beginning September 1 and wrapping up October 13, and yields were lower than in a typical year.

We affectionately call it farming.

Despite the challenges, the fruit that made it through is looking especially promising. Our winemakers, including Greg Koenig, see the potential for some of the best finished wine they've encountered in more than 30 years.

That’s a pretty exciting thing to hear from people who have spent decades turning grapes into wine. So, what exactly are they seeing?

Small Grapes, Big Potential

This year, the berries are small. That might not sound like much, but in the world of red wine, grape size can tell us a few interesting things.

A grape is made up of more than juice. Its skin carries much of the pigment responsible for a red wine’s color, along with compounds that contribute to its flavor and structure. When berries are smaller, there is generally more skin in proportion to the juice inside.

During fermentation, that extra skin relative to juice can give the winemaking team more opportunity to extract color, flavor, and tannins. Tannins are what give red wine some of its structure, including that gentle drying sensation you might notice on your tongue after a sip.

In the glass, this can contribute to a deeper, more concentrated color, sometimes with those beautiful purple tones we love to see in a young red wine.

Small berries don't automatically make a great vintage, of course. Variety, ripeness, and decisions in the cellar all matter. But when the fruit comes in with promising characteristics, it gives the winemakers a very good starting point.

And this year, that starting point has them excited.

A Little Sunshine Goes a Long Way

Good wine starts long before the grapes arrive at the winery. It starts in the vineyard, where soil, sunshine, water, and weather all have a say in how the fruit develops.

The Sunnyslope region brings plenty of sunshine to the growing season, helping grapes ripen and develop the flavors and components that shape a wine. But sunshine is only one part of the equation. What happens beneath the vines matters, too.

Lanae Ridge’s sandy, chalky soil allows water to drain through the root zone. That gives growers greater control over water availability and vine growth, helping them manage the balance between leafy growth and fruit development.

Why does that matter? A vine with abundant water puts more energy into growing shoots and leaves. By carefully managing water, growers can guide the vine toward a balance that supports the high-quality fruit they're hoping to harvest. The goal isn't to make the vine struggle for the sake of it. It's to understand what the vines need and respond accordingly.

The combination of sunshine and well-draining soil gives Idaho growers a distinctive set of conditions to work with. Every vineyard is different, and every season brings its own set of decisions. That's part of the appeal, and occasionally part of the headache.

Ten Years in the Making

Lanae Ridge’s story began well before this year's harvest. In 2015, Jay and Shelly Hawkins purchased the property to grow grapes, and in 2016 planted the vines that would become the foundation of the vineyard.

The original plan was to sell their fruit to other wineries around the region, and they continue to do so today. Now, a portion of the grapes also goes toward Gem 73 wines.

A vineyard is a long-term commitment. You plant vines knowing that what you do today will shape harvests for years to come. You learn the land, watch how it responds to different conditions, and make adjustments as the seasons change. There isn't much room for instant gratification.

Nearly a decade after those first vines went into the ground, their fruit is helping tell the Gem 73 story.

And this year, after a growing season that brought more than its share of challenges, the grapes are showing the kind of potential that makes all those early mornings and long days worthwhile.

From the Vine to the Glass

Harvest is a milestone, but it isn't the finish line. Once the grapes are picked, the work moves into the cellar, where the fruit begins its transformation into wine.

During fermentation, yeast converts the grapes' natural sugars into alcohol. For red wines, the juice remains in contact with the skin and seeds so that color, flavor, and tannins can move into the wine. The winemaking team monitors the process, tasting and making decisions as the wine develops.

It's part science, part experience, and lots of paying attention. Each variety behaves a little differently, and each vintage brings something new to work with. There is no single recipe for making a great wine. The goal is to understand the fruit in front of you and make the most of what the season has provided.

Which brings us back to 2026.

It was a challenging year in the vineyard, but the fruit that came in has given our winemakers plenty of reason to feel optimistic about what's ahead. It's too early to know exactly how this vintage will turn out. The wine still has work to do, and we'll give it the time it needs.

For now, we're grateful for the people who brought the harvest home, the vines that kept growing, and the possibility of what's to come.

Next time you’re enjoying a glass of Gem 73, we hope you’ll think about the journey that brought it to you. The vines that grew through the season, the people who cared for them, and all the little decisions that helped turn those grapes into the wine in your glass. There’s a lot of care, patience, and a little bit of unpredictability behind every bottle. And that’s part of what makes it special.

A challenging season. A promising vintage. And, as always, a little reminder that good things take time.

All the best, 

Gem 73