June 2010

We are almost finished Vintage 2010 – just a couple of barrels casually strolling to the finishing line of being fully fermented to dry. What a vintage it was! The new frost system paid for itself several times over and left us wondering why we waited so long.   Except for 2004 and 2007, the lower areas of the vineyard usually experienced frost damage.  This year, despite several frost events, those areas were able to produce to their full potential.  Perhaps the most exciting aspect of this past season has been the changes, visually very evident, in soil health.  We can’t say it is all due to our shift to biodynamic/natural farming.  The greater impact of that shift is probably still to come.  It may simply be the cessation of herbicide use, which began almost five years ago, well before our move to biodynamics.  Admittedly no herbicides is one of the key biodynamic practices.  This season we saw a flourishing vineyard floor, with multiple species and sub-species of native grasses, clovers and other plants – and, surprisingly, very few weeds.  Rather than a hard baked bare soil surface under the vine rows, the areas are now covered with plant life, made possible by ‘living’ soils, full of beneficial microorganisms and critters of all types.  You can peel back this vegetative layer and sink your hand in and extract a handful of wonderfully structured, living, rich red volcanic soil that smells of organic matter.  Oh, to get that bouquet into our wine – we are working on it.