Stellwagen Vineyard Zinfandel

Many people have asked me why I do not make a varietal Zinfandel.  My catty answer is “Ravenswood has taken all of the best old vine Zinfandel vineyards.”  This, actually has a bit of truth to it, but the honest response is something that comes deeper from the gut.  It is simply that I have not found a Zin vineyard that moves me.  Not for lack of looking, but a strange assemblage of curious pitter-patters in the gut is required before beginning a relationship with a vineyard.  It is a bit like finding a partner, and with my father being one of the kings of Zinfandel, I have been forced to approach the varietal with foppish aloofness to make sure that an eventual match will be one of which he approves.

Well, going into the third vintage for Bedrock Wine Co. I have finally found a vineyard that is a great match.

Stellwagen Vineyard is located only a mile away from Bedrock Vineyard in the heart of the Sonoma Valley.  It is almost as old– I suspect the vineyard was once part of the old Steiger property, probably planted in the 1890’s.  Though geographically close, Stellwagen lies on a soil type unseen on our ranch– Los Robles Cobbly Loams.  This is a darker, more gravelly, soil also found at nearby Old Hill Ranch.  The vineyard is owned by Ruth and Robert Stellwagen– longtime valley folk, and part of the family that has owned Stellwagen since the 1960’s.

What makes this vineyard even more exciting is that Diane (the vineyard manager at Bedrock) and I will farm it– and farm it organically.  Right now the vineyard has not been cared for to a standard fitting its status as an ancient vineyard planted in the blessed soils of Sonoma Valley.  Excessive and ill-placed spur positions have created odd, somewhat lopsided canopies, along with short and weaker than ideal shoots and general low vigor.  There are a few incidents of mildew, and the soils could use some love.  There are also 100 or so dead vines and rootstock that need to be pulled up and replanted.

As such, starting tomorrow morning we will go through and give the vineyard a much needed mani-pedi– much as we had to do with Bedrock Vineyard several years ago.  This means removing excessive spur positions and leaving spurs that can potentially become new arms in an attempt to restore the sought after gobelet shape.  A pre-bloom spray of organic stylet oil will be used on those vines blackened by mildew.  Throughout the year, more stringent attention will be paid to suckering and shoot-thinning to ensure the vines’ vigor will be focused into the canes and fruit production.

Also, we will remove the old rootstock and dead vines and put in healthy St. George.  Hopefully this will allow for a fall-grafting of of young vines.  However, to replenish the native field blend, we will graft Petite Sirah, Alicante Bouschet, Tempranillo, and potentially Carignane in lieu of Zinfandel.  The hope is to reap the complexities of color, texture, and nuace imparted by the tried and true California Field Blend. In order to ensure the young vines’ health we will give them a little extra water and love throughout the next couple of years before weaning them to the dry-farmed status of the rest of the vineyard.

To aid in vigor we will cultivate a bit more this year and plant soil-building cover crops composed of bell beans, peas, oats, and vetch.  There is a small swale that has encountered some drainage issues into which we will seed some more water tolerant grasses in order to prevent compaction and wick away excess moisture.  Since the vineyard is dry-farmed, there is no irrigation, meaning we can also cross-cultivate and seed if we see the need.

Stellwagen’s small size– only 2.5 acres or thereabouts– and close location is absolutely ideal for both Bedrock Wine Co. and Sunbreak Vineyard Services.  It means we can give the vineyard all the love it needs and monitor closely the results of our efforts.  There is endless potential– the vineyard lies in close relation to the Grand Cru Zinfandel sites of Barricia, Chauvet, and Old Hill Ranch, not to mention Bedrock.

If all goes well we will breath new life into this ancient vineyard, allowing me to make correspondingly breathtaking wines.

The goal is the create this:

Bedrock Vineyard this week:  Note Cover crops, well chosen spurs, and strong arms

From this:

Stellwagen yesterday morning:  Great old vines with too many spur positions, and weakened arms due to poor vigor.