Varieties and Rootstock

Together with Larry Bradley we decided to pick grape varieties, clones and root stocks based on 3 general criteria.

• The best suitability for the location, soil and weather conditions. In other words the Sierra Foothills and the terroir of the different locations on the site.
  
• The best combination of clones and rootstocks to produce balanced vines and top quality fruit.
  
• The planting of several varieties in order to mitigate and ride out the changing demand and market conditions that will inevitably happen.

As a result 50 acres were planted; 50% to Rhone varietals, 30% to Bordeaux varietals and 20% to Italian varietals. Within each varietal, multiple clones were picked to give winemakers choices to work with. Five different rootstocks were used to accommodate the different soil conditions on the site and the expected vigor of each variety and clone.

Block sizes were kept between 2 and 3 acres for maximum farming flexibility and to accommodate the different soil conditions of the vineyard. Only certified plant materials from reputable nurseries were used to insure that no diseases were imported onto the vineyard site.

As a result of these decisions the following scion varieties and rootstocks, block sizes and trellis variations were planted.

	Clone/Roostock		Acres	Trellis
Rhone	Syrah	7/3309	3.0	VSP
	Syrah	7/3309	3.0	VSP
	Syrah	7/S04	3.5	VSP
	Syrah	174/110R	2.0	VSP
	Syrah	383/1103P*	1.2	LYRE
	Grenache	362/3309	3.0	VSP
	Grenache	362/3309	1.5	VSP
	Mourvedre	233/504	1.2	VSP
	Mourvedre	369/110R	1.5	VSP
	Viognier	1/110R	2.5	VSP
	Viognier	1/110R	1.3	VSP
	Roussanne	468/3309	2.5	VSP
	Marsanne	574/4453	2.5	VSP
	Cinsault	2/3309	0.5	VSP
	Counoise	A/3309	0.5	VSP
	Petite Sirah	3/S04	1.3	VSP
	Petite Sirah	3/110R*	2.5	LYRE
	Petite Sirah	332/4453	2.5	VSP
Zinfandel	Zinfandel	DUPR/110R*	1.0	LYRE
	Zinfandel	HERI/1103P*	1.0	LYRE
Italian Varietals	Sangiovese	Rodeno/110R*	3.0	LYRE
	Sangiovese	04/1103P*	1.0	LYRE
	Barbera	15/110R*	1.0	LYRE
Bordeaux Varietals	Cabernet	15/3309	3.0	VSP
	Cabernet	337/3309	3.0	VSP
	Cabernet	337/S04	1.5	VSP
	Cabernet	7/S04	1.5	VSP
	CabFranc	1/110R	2.5	VSP
	CabFranc	332/4453	2.0	VSP
	Malbec	595/3309	1.5	VSP
	Petit Verdot	400/3309	1.5	VSP
* Lyre Trellis

 

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