Author Archive
Dry Farming in a Hot, Dry Year
The growing season for 2015 was the hottest and driest on record, yet because grape vines are actually quite hardy and adapt readily to harsh conditions, our dry farmed grapes fared just fine.
Send in the Clones!
The next time that you are wondering why one vineyard produces lofty mind boggling wines and another right near it does not, consider the clones!
In Burgundy, the most famous vineyards are composed of an enormous number of different clones within the same small plot of land. The idea, worked out over centuries, is that a vineyard which possesses the most genetic variation will produce wines of the greatest complexity.
Fortunately many of the old clones brought to California by pioneer grape growers still persist in select vineyards across California and Oregon.
What Makes a Vintage Fabulous?
Whenever a vintage like 2012 gives us beautiful fruit to vinify, discussion often revolves around “why?”. The truth lies in the vagaries of the weather. A tiny crop due to unusually warm spring weather resulted in wines of high intensity. Cool autumn nights preserved acidity while warm daytime temperatures resulted in grapes with perfect ripeness. While the intensity on these young wines makes them seem a bit “un-Pinot noir-like”, they will show their mettle as they age. Because the 2012 vintage is exceedingly small, don’t hesitate to invest in it now.
Why Nebbiolo?
While Nebbiolo and Pinot noir share many traits in common, both from an esthetic and geographic point of view, you cannot use techniques developed for making Pinot noir in the production of Nebbiolo! So I go to northern Italy to learn how to make Nebbiolo just like I went to Burgundy many years ago to learn how to make Pinot noir.
Summer on the Tractor
It is 5 a.m. The eastern sky is showing that a new day will soon be upon us. The tractor is in place, sprayer attached, ready to roll. It is time to get up and continue my summer battle to prevent mildew in the vineyard..
Bee Positive
The answer to the collapse of honey bee colonies turns out to be fairly straight-forward: profligate use of a class of insecticides known as Neonicotinoids. These chemicals are extremely toxic to bees; they are water soluble and therefore systemic in the plant and do not break down quickly in the environment; millions and millions of pounds are being pumped into our environment each year. You can take personal action to help protect the bees and prevent living in a world that exists solely on gruel.
THE THING ABOUT RAIN
Wine, especially local wine, provides an embodiment of the relationship between man and the weather around him. 2011 was a cool summer with a wet autumn and very late harvest and the wines reflect that. 2012, remember that heat in August? That was followed by a little rain in early September to recover the vines and picture-perfect harvest and the wines reflect that. The wines are in essence a picture of the year that was, and how fun is that?!
We have a dream and you can help!
We have started a campaign to fund another great idea and all you have to do is give us money! To encourage your generosity, we’ve vinted up a slew of incentives for every budget. Check out our our gripping presentation by clicking “there’s more”.
St. Luke’s Little Summer
During the golden October of 2013, a new section of Clos Electrique was born.
Why Tea and Wine Don’t Mix
No matter what your political persuasion, I want you to be aware that the radical right of the Republican Party is adversely affecting my business in major ways. From their anti-immigrant diatribes meant to chase hispanics back across the border, to their inability to grasp climate change and now their tantrum regarding “Obamacare”, these so-called Tea Partiers are hurting American wine producers in major ways.
