Our farming cycle starts in October, when the  year’s harvest is done.  We give the vines a well earned drink of water, the first water they have received since budbreak.   We assess  the vineyard to determine areas of weakness and strength, and plant a cover crop mix tailored to meet the needs of the vines.   We use different mixes to increase or slow down vigor, to add biomass to the soil, or to attract beneficial insects.  Throughout the winter months we monitor the cover crop for growth, and start our weed control program, using heat to kill weeds underneath the vines.

Pruning starts in mid-February.  We use a derivative of cane pruning known as the Double Guyot.  This labor intensive pruning technique leaves multiple short canes, creating a very even growth pattern.   We asses each vine individually, and leave only the number of fruiting buds that we feel the plant can support, insuring the balance of shoot length and leaf surface needed to fully ripen each cluster.  We begin shoot thinning and positioning early in the season, and make several passes in the spring to ensure optimal canopy density, with filtered sunlight falling on each cluster of grapes. As the season progresses we may remove selected leaves to fine tune the exposure of the clusters to sunlight and air circulation.

It is our belief that  a properly pruned and balanced vine will not produce an excess of fruit, and have never seen a need to reduce the yield by dropping fruit. We do not irrigate during the growing season, forcing the vines reach deep into the soil to extract the combination of water, minerals, and nutrients specific to this vineyard. The grapes are harvested when we think the ideal balance of physiological ripeness, acids, tannins and sugar have been reached.