THE VINEYARDS OF KEEGAN CELLARS

Vineyard sourcing is one of the key issues when the producer does not own their own vineyard land. This comes with both positives and negatives. Certainly owning and operating ones own vineyard is the ultimate form of control. However, no matter how much one wants to add variation through rootstock, scion wood and possibly trellising, the most influential component of soil and climate diversity are lacking. Unless of course, you have lots of dough and can own several parcels.

I have found a satisfying mix of the two. I work with 6 blocks on 4 parcels of land stretching from the south end of Russian River Valley to sites closer to Healdsburg. In each case I have my specific block and in tandem with the grower farm to my specifications. The jobs designated for the entire vineyard (tractor work, spraying, etc.) the grower handles and the hand work specific to my block (some pruning, shoot thinning, cluster thinning and green harvest) I handle. All sites and blocks are discussed in detail.

A moonlit sunrise pick at Poplar/Ritchie Vineyard.

The axiom that "great wines are made in the vineyard" is wholly and completely true. It is impossible to over emphasize the veracity of this statement. There are two components to this. One is that which Mother Nature gives in the form of site and all that goes with it, and the other is the practices employed by owner/manager. Each site comes with its own set of givens and clearly some sites produce grapes that make better wine than others. However, a well understood and managed vineyard can support and enhance winemaking goals.

The first set of decisions in planting a vineyard, starting with row orientation, pre-planting soil amendments, frost and irrigation systems, to rootstock, clone(s), and trellising, are influenced by issues pertinent to that site and the goal of the vineyard and the winemaking. Pruning decisions, timing and type of thinnings and other annual activities influence the outcome of each harvest.

Certainly of key importance is ripeness. Not sugar accumulation by dehydration but a mature berry/cluster. More than ripeness can be influenced by vineyard management, e.g. acid/pH balance and the relationship of tartaric to malic acid. And the tannins, are they mature, astringent, bitter? These factors can be greatly influenced by vineyard practices. And we are learning more about this everyday. If the winemaker and vineyard manager are working in concert then the attention paid in the vineyard makes the work in the cellar mostly about clean, healthy fermentations and sanitary cellar practices. This results in a wine that is balanced, harmonious, and healthy.

And then there is flavor. Other than the supporting role that chemistry and microbiology play in the process of grape to glass, the flavor is a statement of site. Berry size, cluster size, volume, picking criteria, all lend themselves to ripeness and intensity. Decisions about yeasts, nutrients, barrels and cellar practices during elevage all play a roll in the final taste and mouthfeel. But the flavor is a statement of site. Yes, I repeat myself. After many days of working in a block you can feel the difference in each location. The shifts in humidity, the salt of the soil, the variations in breezes, the natural underbrush……each place has its own texture. It is absorbed into the wine. You can sense it when you put nose to glass. If there is any absolute reason to do Single Vineyard wines this is it.

And what about organic farming? Certainly at the very minimum we should all expect farming to be sustainable. We are stewards of the land with an impact for generations to come and to take and not replenish is a sin against nature and our children. But what about the nuts and bolts? I see only one serious obstacle to organic farming on a full time basis in the vineyards (I cannot speak to other crops). That is the issue of mildew. There is really not any need for use of other petroleum based sprays or products of any kind. The discussion of mildew however can raise the hackles of just about any vineyardist. An infection can literally wipe out a field in days. We have been blessed the past several years with cooperative weather and mildew has been kept fully under control. We are using a combination of sulfur dust and compost teas. In addition new organic fungicides and mildecides are making an appearance.

Farming is an essential part of my working life. My time in the vineyard and my respect for the beauty and bounty of the land are an enormous support to the rest of my life. To the foods that I grow, make, and eat, to the respect for those who work the land, and my fellow artists in the vineyards and wineries of the world. This diggin’ in the dirt is definitely under my nails. Seasonally I breathe these vineyards, daily I drink these wines and the quality and healthfulness are directly and intimately linked to my own health and quality of life. Welcome to the vineyards and their owners, chosen not just for the superior quality of their sites but for their camaraderie, compassion and passion in our collective lives of wine.

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