For lovers of world-class, cool-climate Pinot Noir, the last few decades have been a Golden Age in California. As new appellations have emerged, and vineyards have been planted using the finest modern clones and viticultural techniques, our Vineyard Partner program has grown from our roots in the Russian River Valley and Sonoma Coast to Carneros, Fort Ross-Seaview, Redwood Valley, Santa Lucia Highlands, Sta. Rita Hills, the Petaluma Gap, and Mendocino County’s acclaimed Anderson Valley.

With the release of our highly anticipated 2020 Anderson Valley Pinot Noir and our single-vineyard 2020 Day Ranch Pinot Noir, it’s a fitting time to share some of the reasons we have fallen under the spell of Anderson Valley. Located 110 miles northwest of San Francisco, the Anderson Valley was settled by Walter Anderson in the 1850s, and by the 1890s, Italian immigrants were planting the first vineyards in the region, mostly for home winemaking. It wasn’t until the 1960s that the first few commercial wineries were established, and most of those focused on Alsatian white varietals like Gewürztraminer, or Chardonnay for sparkling wine. While these varieties still thrive in the region, it has been the boom in Pinot Noir plantings over the past three decades that have catapulted the Anderson Valley to global fame as one of America’s great wine regions.

The Anderson Valley, which is only 15 miles long and a few miles wide, generally follows the path of the Navarro River. While the Anderson Valley is already one of the very coolest appellations in California, it gets even cooler in the northwestern edge of the valley, which is called the ‘Deep End.’ Just a few miles from the Pacific, the ‘Deep End’ is cold, wild, and perfect for Pinot Noir. It is also the home of the renowned Day Ranch—our favorite vineyard in the region. Formerly an apple orchard, Day Ranch was planted to grapes in the mid-1970s. Located on an alluvial terrace that abuts a mountainside, the site includes highland meadows, plateaus, and multiple river tributaries, along with weathered sandstone and shale soils.

It is an incredible site for both Pinot Noir and Chardonnay, and one of the most distinctive terroirs we work with. The Chardonnay from Day Ranch offers shimmering citrus flavors with nuances of white flowers and pineapple, while the 2020 Day Ranch Pinot Noir displays mesmerizing layers of cola, spice, dried Jamaican flowers, black plum, and blueberry, as well as sophisticated umami flavors of leather, pennyroyal, and truffles that reflect the wild, rustic character of the valley. The complexity of this wine is driven both by the remarkable character of the site and the three clones we worked with in 2020. These include the Dijon 115 and 667 clones, and Clone 91—a little-known Pommard clone that does beautifully at Day Ranch.

In part because of its relative remoteness, visiting Anderson Valley for a weekend is a delight. For those who remember wine tasting in Napa Valley during the ‘70s, or Sonoma County in the ‘80s, the Anderson Valley feels old school in all the right ways—approachable, uncrowded, and very down to earth. Home to vineyards, magnificent redwood forests, and the majestic Mendocino Coast, it is a region that is every bit as unique and beautiful as the world-class wines it produces.

As we brought in our final grapes of the season on October 10th, I took a moment to reflect on how far MacRostie has come and how much I’ve learned over the years. 2025 marks my fifteenth harvest at MacRostie, and my 13th vintage as winemaker. Each season is unique, and 2025 was one of patience, collaboration, and beautiful balance, offering a true reminder of why I love what I do.

A Calm, Balanced Start

The year began with average rainfall and healthy cover crops. While frost was a brief concern, our team and the growers we work with are among the best in the business and we came out of an early season cold snap unscathed. Across our vineyards in the Sonoma Coast and the Russian River Valley, the vines looked vibrant and full of promise. A cool spring delayed bud break slightly and stretched bloom over several weeks, creating wide variation from vineyard to vineyard, one of the qualities that makes this region so fascinating. At our Thale’s Vineyard, bloom began in early May, while at Nightwing Vineyard, Chardonnay bloomed much later. Even with some high mildew pressure in July, our expert growers, including the Duttons, Sangiacomos, and Bacigalupis, worked their magic and kept the vines healthy and thriving.

Summer Heat and Perfect Timing

By early August, we were tracking two to four weeks behind schedule. Warm weather over Labor Day weekend helped ripening accelerate, followed by a gentle cool-down that set the stage for an ideal harvest. Our first Pinot Noir pick came from Thale’s Vineyard on September 5th, and our last Pinot came from Dutton family’s Manzana Vineyard on October 6th. For Chardonnay, we started with Bacigalupi Vineyard on September 16th and finished with our Nightwing Estate and Dutton Jewell Ranch on October 10th.

Overall, yields were up about 10% for Chardonnay, while Pinot Noir came in right on average. The fruit was exceptional, offering juicy, vibrant berries with pure flavor expression and no dehydration. The Pinot Noirs show the complete spectrum of deep red, blue, and black fruit tones with solid color and concentration, while the Chardonnays are radiant, fruit-forward, and elegantly structured.

Vineyard Highlights

At Nightwing Vineyard, years of close observation are paying off. We’ve learned how each clone and block behaves and have fine-tuned our approach to pruning, canopy management, and harvest timing accordingly for each. As a result, the consistency and quality from Nightwing continue to impress. At Thale’s Vineyard, we’ve advanced our canopy coverage experiments to adapt to its warmer location. By using shade cloth, nutrient adjustments, and even natural clay applications (a kind of sunscreen for grapes), we’re protecting fruit freshness during heat events — an exciting evolution in our farming approach.

Teamwork and Innovation

One of my favorite parts of this harvest was the energy in the cellar. Our Cellar Master, Francisco “Paco,” completed his second vintage with us, and our Assistant Winemaker, Carolina, her fifth, with both bringing incredible skill and enthusiasm to their work. We also had two returning interns, which is uncommon. Collectively, the whole team worked together seamlessly, sharing knowledge, running small-lot trials, and keeping things fun along the way. We even did a team pick of one block of our Thale’s Vineyard, and celebrated together afterwards with a toast of sparkling wine to another great year.

Looking Ahead

While it’s far to early to herald the greatness of the vintage, I’m especially excited about several wines, including the Soberanes Vineyard Pinot Noir, and our wines from the Sangiacomo and Bacigalupi vineyards, both of which delivered stellar fruit. I also expect another sensational vintage from Nightwing. While it will be a while until we share most of our 2025, I’m already looking forward to the spring 2026 release of our 2025 Rosé of Pinot Noir, along with the debut of our new 2025 MacRostie Sauvignon Blanc, both of which reflect the craftsmanship and curiosity that define MacRostie.

As I look back on the 2025 harvest, I’m proud of the teamwork, creativity, and care that made this season special. From Thale’s to Nightwing and beyond, the vineyards shone, and our 2025 wines will too.

Winemaker Heidi Bridenhagen
MacRostie Winery & Vineyards

In the few short years since we unveiled the debut wines from our Nightwing Estate Vineyard in the Petaluma Gap AVA, Nightwing has rapidly emerged as one of California’s most acclaimed and exciting young Pinot Noir and Chardonnay vineyards. Earning across-the-board rave reviews from critics and numerous mid-90-point scores, it has exceeded all expectations and validated our belief in the remarkable quality of the site and its potential to become one of California’s greatest cool-climate vineyards.

Wind to Wine in the Petaluma Gap

Understanding why Nightwing Vineyard is so extraordinary begins by understanding the Petaluma Gap appellation (AVA), which only earned official AVA status in 2017. While the AVA may be new, among winemakers who focus on cool-climate grapes it has long been viewed as one of California’s top regions for Chardonnay and Pinot Noir. It is also a region that our Winemaker Heidi Bridenhagen has worked with for many years and is so passionate about that she currently serves as President on the Board of Directors of the Petaluma Gap Winegrowers Alliance. The slogan for the AVA is “Wind to Wine,” and for good reason. The Petaluma Gap benefits from a wind gap in the coastal mountain range that funnels cooling breezes and fog east from the Pacific Ocean through Petaluma and south to San Pablo Bay. These persistent afternoon breezes result in lower yields and generous hangtimes, enabling flavors and fruit characteristics to fully develop, while creating beautifully balanced wines of uncommon depth and distinction. Though the AVA spans more than 200,000 acres, only about 4,000 are planted to vines spread across more than 70 vineyards.

Nightwing Takes Flight

In 2017, when Heidi and our founder, Steve MacRostie, first saw the unplanted land that would become Nightwing Vineyard, they both immediately recognized the site’s incredible untapped potential. “Great Pinot Noir and Chardonnay land in California is becoming more and more rare and Nightwing is Pinot and Chardonnay nirvana,” said Heidi, who personally selected Nightwing’s nine clones of Pinot Noir, nine clones of Chardonnay, and seven rootstocks. In partnership with Atlas Vineyard Management, which farms the nearby Gap’s Crown and Sunchase vineyards, Heidi oversaw the design and planting of Nightwing, which features numerous elevations, exposures and soil compositions. To take full advantage of this diversity, the vineyard was planted as a mosaic of 35 blocks featuring 44 acres of Pinot Noir and 30 acres of Chardonnay, with planted elevations reaching heights of 1,400 feet. “When we planted Nightwing, we leaned into the site’s natural diversity by planting multiple block and clone combinations,” said Heidi. “Today, several of those small blocks are the source for some of our most sought-after wines, including Nightwing Calera Clone Pinot Noir, Swan Clone Pinot Noir, and our Nightwing First Flight Pinot Noir.

About the Name Nightwing

We called the vineyard Nightwing in honor of Vernon Morelli, the property’s original owner and a WWII pilot who built a landing strip on the site. We also selected the name as a nod to the Petaluma Gap’s many indigenous birds. There are over 200 species of birds native to the Sonoma region, and some migrate in huge flocks at night. While we serve as caretakers of the vineyard by day, the name Nightwing acknowledges the many birds who watch over the land after dark, including the majestic Night Heron.

Experiencing Nightwing

Since we only occasionally host events at Nightwing, we unveiled a special experience last year to spotlight the vineyard and to help our customers forge a deeper connection with this exciting site and its wines. Focused exclusively on 90+ point wines from Nightwing, our 2-hour Nightwing Food & Wine Experience is a must for anyone who loves great food and wine pairings. The experience includes a flight of acclaimed current releases paired with caviar, local artisan cheeses and cured meats, as well as barrel samples of yet-to-be-released vintages from Nightwing. During the tasting, which features a delicious array of single-vineyard and single-clone bottlings, our Wine Ambassadors share stories about Nightwing, its history and what makes it such an extraordinary source for Pinot Noir and Chardonnay.

“Great vineyards are like great wineries,” added Heidi. “When properly stewarded, they evolve, mature and get better and better with age. Nightwing is on an extraordinary trajectory with the potential to become one of Sonoma’s grand cru-caliber vineyards.”