Test Block: From Aglianico to Touriga

Touriga Nacional leaf

Out at Bedrock Vineyard we are faced with the unfortunate and expensive of task of gradually ripping out a large block and replanting it. Unfortunate because due to prior incompetence, the vineyard is dying in front of our very eyes. The block of Cabernet is the largest single block on the 119 acre rance, coming in at just about 13 acres. It was planted in 1988 on AXR rootstock and trained to a very high (almost 9 feet on the downhill side) GDC trellising system (the crew just loves spending hours reaching upwards to prune and pick). Now one would think that it was the phylloxera susceptable rootstock that would be causing the early demise of the vineyard, but in reality the bigger issue has been eutypa and bot canker. See, the vineyard was routinely pruned in the wet and never really tested for bot canker. Also, the rootstock had supposedly been root-grafted away from AXR to a resistant stock (a controversial technique with a low success rate). The result was that last year when we started our own vineyard management company with the most excellent Diane Kenworthy we had to hack off about 50% of the cordon length in the vineyard to prevent the further spread of the fungal diseases down into the trunk. Not only was this incredibly expensive, it was also a temporary fix. Inevitably we are going to have to replant the block, as productivity in the vines has now decreased to under 1 ton per acre. With Cabernet, this actually means incredibly tough, less-balanced fruit. Recent studies have even shown that crop levels kept too low in Cabernet and Merlot increase the undesirable pyrazine (read green bell pepper aromas and flavor) components in the grapes.

Having already ripped out the Chardonnay block below the Cabernet and replanted it to Petite Sirah and Alicante Bouschet, we have been loath to undergo the expense of replanting another block. Replanting means absorbing the cost of physically ripping out deeply rooted plants, prepping the soil, replanting, and then waiting several harvest cycles before getting any fruit to sell. In this case, 13 acres, even at 1 ton/acre and selling for $2500 a ton means a loss of $40,000 a year for at least three years on top of all the labor costs of replanting and young vine care. Ouch.

The exciting part is that we can do a better job, get rid of the infernally awful Geneva Double Curtain (which made more sense with the high vigor AXR stock but not with lower vigor 3309, 101-14, and 110-R), space better than the current 10×8 if we would like, and break up the large block with different varietals.

As such, the lower couple acres of the block are going to be replanted to head-trained, 10×6 spaced, Zinfandel. The clones studied in the ZAP/Davis research vineyard are being released so we will plant to a wide variety of randomly planted clones. Not only will this allow me to do my own clonal trials with Zinfandel, it also gives us essentially a piggy-bank of clean, excellent, clonal selections of California native grape.

The top of the block will eventually be replanted to a mixture of Cabernet clones on a different, tighter spacing system better suited to the moderate to low vigor soils of the hillside vineyard. Here, I am advocating a 6.5 x 4 foot spacing to devigorate the high vigor Cabernet and limit crop levels per vine. The idea is to create the best, state-of-the-art Cabernet vineyard in Sonoma Valley– a place where Cabernet should succeed better than it has. The block we are ripping out has given excellent fruit in its life, which is a testament to the excellence of the site, more than the previous farming. The fruit quality we will get from the new vineyard should be stunning.

However, in between the Zinfandel and Cabernet we are going to plant a test block of varietals with excellent potential heretofore underrepresented in California. The varietals currently under investigation are:

• Touriga Nacional, the leading grape of the Douro Valley. The best wines from Touriga (if people can find Xisto, made by the Cazes family of Lynch-Bages in partnership with Quinta de Crasto it will blow your mind) are dark and rich with deep fruit, but also are imbued with a perfume that comes across almost like that of Syrah cofermented with Viognier.
• Touriga Francesca, the Cabernet Franc to Touriga Nacional’s Cabernet. More about perfume and liveliness.
• Tinta Cao, Tinta Roriz, and Tinta Barocca are also being considered, though they are less famous Port varietals.
• Aglianico, the only great grape of Italy’s south and responsible for the dark, intense wines of Taurasi in Compania and Basilicata. In Taurasi, Nebbiolo is referred to as “the Aglianico of the north.”
• Tempranillo, long a staple in the California field blends, this dark, black cherry accented varietal has seen little planting in quality terroirs.
• Nero D’Avola, the king of Sicily and a potential relation to Syrah.

The idea here is that we might find another varietal wonderfully suited to the valley that could make excellent and unique wine. We will plant a few rows of each varietal, vinify them separately, and analyze accordingly. Also, as climate change continues its unpredictable course we might find something that becomes better suited to our valley site as the window from growing Cabernet and Merlot slowly closes.

Touriga Francesca cluster