Red Willow Vineyard, Yakima Valley.

Below is a growing season report for Washington for the 2024 vintage. See other vintage summaries and reports dating back to 2005 here. See a summary of growing season markers here.

The 2024 growing season in Washington was marked by a January freeze event and turbulent market forces. In the end, the vintage turned out far better than anyone could have imagined, with high quality fruit in what was otherwise a relatively stress-free growing season.

“The story of the vintage was resilience,” said Chris Figgins, president of Figgins Family Wine Estates in Walla Walla Valley.

The January freeze

Washington is no stranger to winter events. The January 2024 freeze was, however, anomalous.

“There was no inversion,” said Matías Kúsulas, head viticulturalist at Lawrence Vineyards, which has properties in the Royal Slope and broader Columbia Valley. “That’s very uncommon.”

Typically, cold air pools in lower lying areas, making them more susceptible to damage. In 2024, in contrast, lower lying areas were warmer. Higher elevation sites in the Walla Walla Valley, Royal Slope, and Lake Chelan appellations were the most impacted by the freeze, seeing temperatures as low as -11 degrees Fahrenheit.

“Our low elevation sites, we basically had a normal crop with very little damage,” Kúsulas said. “Our vineyard which sits at 1,300 feet [above sea level] and reaches up to 1,600 feet, I lost all my Grenache there, I lost all my Merlot, and I lost all my Malbec.”

Clone played a role in addition to variety and elevation. “Pinot Gris Clone 1, fantastic. No damage,” said Kúsulas. “Clone 9, total loss.”

Sagemoor Vineyards farms sites in the White Bluffs, Wahluke Slope, and Walla Walla Valley. The company’s Walla Walla Valley vineyard is at higher elevation.

“All the bud analysis numbers that were coming back were really grim,” said vineyard operations manager Brittany Komm.

Bud break provides hope

Sagemoor Vineyards, White Bluffs.

After the freeze, growers adjusted pruning strategies. “Normally if I’m spur pruning, I leave two buds per spur,” Kúsulas said. “I left four buds instead.”

Bud break in the Columbia Valley was variable, with some areas starting in late March and others more toward mid-April. Many were surprised at how many buds pushed. The good news continued as the growing season progressed.

“Every time we reassessed along the way, the yields kept going up,” said Marty Clubb, owner and managing winemaker at L’Ecole No. 41 in Lowden. L’Ecole sources fruit from Walla Walla Valley, Yakima Valley, Candy Mountain, Horse Heaven Hills, and the Royal Slope.

Interviews for this article were conducted November and December 2024. All photography by Richard Duval.

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