 |
|
 |
|
Nick Peay
|
For those interested in grape growing, here are a few basic details on the vineyard.
| |
Trellising: For our location and wine growing philosophy, we use a vertical shoot-positioned trellis, supporting a head trained bilateral cane pruned system, excepting the Syrah which is on a bilateral cordon.
This allows plenty of direct, dappled sunshine, kept cool by ocean breezes - part of the formula for quality - resulting in intensely flavored grapes and a complex array of subtle nuances, framed by balanced acid and tannin structuring components.
|
| |
Spacing: Intermediate to semi-close. Our then state-of-the-art, eight year-old, narrow width, Ford New Holland 4430 is five feet wide. The eight feet spacing for the tractor is just fine as we are on hillside slopes and need whatever room we can get. We've been toying with spacing between plants - currently our closest is just under four feet - seeking fruit and energy balance along the length of the canes. We may try some Pinot even a bit closer in future planting as our clonal selections and soils are not vigorous, controlling shoot length to some degree. We utilize erosion-minimizing cross-slope farming, aiming to keep the hilltop out of the ravine, and on top of the hill.
|
| |
Crop load: Our clones have been extensively evaluated and selected to produce superior fruit. The variety of clones enables us to blend for enhanced complexity or to bottle separately to express a unique profile. The clones we grow produce smaller berries and clusters but we "drop" crop in most years to keep yields low to achieve fruit intensity. And despite our long growing season, due to our cool climate, we need a "light" crop load to ensure we get our grapes ripe at harvest.
|
And why do we do this?
We do it all to maximize flavor. To bring out the essence of our vineyard site. And we want to continue to do this for many years, so we farm in a sustainable manner: no soil sterilization and plenty of ladybugs, lacewings and all that good stuff.
|
|
|
