The 2026 Vintage On Red Mountain: A Living History

Welcome to the "biography" of our 2026 Red Mountain Estate vintage.

At Frichette, we believe that the best way to appreciate a bottle of wine is to understand the journey it took to get there—from the first winter snip to the final autumn crush. This year, we’re doing something a little different. Instead of a single recap, we are transforming this post into a living document.

As the season unfolds here on Red Mountain, we will be updating this page in real-time with photos, weather data, and field notes directly from our estate vineyard. Bookmark this link and follow along with us as we navigate the wind, the heat, and the magic of the 2026 growing season.

Chapter One: The foundation of it all—Winter Pruning.

Red Mountain AVA from December 2025 through March 2026

We joke that we had Fall, all winter long. It was a very mild winter without any significant freeze event thus the threat of winter damage was non-existent. One benefit of a warmer winter is we can get into the vineyard to prune without battling chilly, windy temperatures.

February 26th, 2026 - Pre Pruning the Frichette Estate Vineyard on Red Mountain

After winter, we enter the vineyard for pruning. This year, we began pruning on February 26, 2026. Here's the before pic.

The beginning of the pruning season at Frichette Estate Vineyard on February 26, 2026, under a clear, sunny sky.

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Mechanical Pre-Pruner Entering Frichette Estate Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon Block

We entered the vineyard for the first step of pruning with the mechanical pre-pruner. Think of mechanical pre-pruning as the "heavy lifting" phase of vineyard maintenance. It’s a tractor-mounted shortcut that clears out the bulk of last year’s growth, leaving just the essentials for your hand-pruners to finish off.

Freshly machine pruned vineyards show neatly trimmed vines approximately 10 inches tall after the mechanical pruner's pass, preparing the field for our crew to make the final pass.

The neatly pruned vine row showcases a freshly manicured vineyard, ready for the new growing season. Focusing on quality over quantity, Shae and vineyard partner, JZ prune each cane to 2 buds.

Here's our happy pruner, Shaé all bundled up!

Pruning complete on March 17, 2026, ready to embrace the growing season ahead.

Chapter Two: Bud Break on Red Mountain: April 6, 2026

Bud Break in the Cabernet Sauvignon Block at Frichette Estate Vineyard.

The Significance of Bud Break (April 6, 2026)

• The Clock Starts: Bud break determines the "biological calendar" for the year. Since Red Mountain is one of the warmest AVAs in Washington, an early April bud break typically sets you up for a long, consistent ripening window—crucial for those big, structured Cabernets you’re known for. This is fantastic for our site because we're at a lower elevation on Red Mountain and we typically pick mid-late October. Sooner we get started, the sooner we can pick and not be forced to pick due to an early freeze event.

• Vulnerability: This is the most fragile moment in the vineyard. These tiny green shoots are about 90% water; a single frost event now could damage the primary buds, forcing the vine to rely on "secondary buds" which typically produce much less fruit. As of April 20, there has not been a frost event that for 10 day forecast shows not threat. We're in the clear!

• Energy Shift: The vine has officially "woken up." Sap is flowing, and the root system is now actively pulling nutrients from the Red Mountain soil to fuel rapid shoot growth (which can reach an inch a day!).