2025
Looking Back
Every year I make a small album of photos for John as a holiday gift. I love the ritual of sifting through my images and assembling a small, edited collection that captures the memories we might want to remember from that particular year. Many (ourselves included) won’t be sad to put 2025 in the rearview, and we’ll have to wait a while for the wines to settle in the cellar before we can tell a vintage story, but this year it felt like a good time for a new tradition and so I’m sharing a few snaps of key moments with all of you … I hope you’ll enjoy a little peek into our 45th year at Frog’s Leap.
Tori Williams
January 2025
February 2025
March 2025
April 2025
May 2025
June 2025
July 2025
August 2025
August 2025
September 2025
October 2025
November 2025
December 2025
The Wolf Moon over the Mayacamas
Winter vines are dormant but cover crop creeps up turning the vineyards into a sea of bright green.
Covered
We used seven different kinds of cover crop mix this year, and I especially love the tiny purple pea flowers hiding in the greenery.
Plants are So Cool
We grow a variety of things in the winery gardens, but behind the farm center is a little bed devoted to medicinal plants and herbs. These garlic scapes are hiding in there – a weird and wonderful little miracle emerging each spring.
Go Bears!
John and Assistant Winemaker Xochilt Polanco on campus at U.C. Berkeley for a Wine Club talk.
Zoom Room
Modern technology allows for some crazy things, including Zoom calls from the garden. This call, with alums from the Cornell Class of ’74 was a great endorsement for California weather and a winery visit IRL.
Duck Lunch
“Duck Lunch” in the garden — From left to right: Glen Salva, John Skupny, John Williams, Doug Shafer and Dan Duckhorn
Sour Cherries
A prolific crop on our lone sour cherry tree meant we made cherry jam for the first time this year!
Dawn Patrol
There is nothing quite like the energy of the first day of harvest. It’s cold, it’s dark and there’s a lot to coordinate, but these two are never happier. Forty five vintages in and John assures me it’s still a rush.
Winemaker in training…
Production Winemaker Pablo Polanco’s grandson made his first official appearance at harvest lunch this year. Will he join his Abuelo and his Auntie Xoch in the cellar? Only time will tell…
A Visit to The Hamptons!
With harvest in full swing John and Rory were busy at the winery both busy at the winery so guess who got to call on Wines by Nature. It was my first solo sales trip for Frog’s Leap. I think I even managed to sell some wine!
October Skies
Thanks in large part to an abundance of rain earlier in the year our gardens were prolific. Dramatic fall skies helped make for a large cache of beautiful images.
Fired Up!
We hosted our first Happy Women Dinner, an inspiring evening with author and activist Shannon Watts.
Closing Out the Year
I stopped in the middle of the road to take this photo — the evening was so beautiful. In the coming year, may we all get a chance to slow down and see the magic that surrounds us when we take the time to look.