We like to keep members of the wine clubs of Vinesse updated on some of the estates that craft the wines featured by the clubs.
Today, some vineyard news from Niner Wine Estates, which is located in the Paso Robles growing region of California’s Central coast area…
“The first 20 acres of Heart Hill were planted in spring 2007, with small blocks of Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon, Malbec, Petit Verdot, Syrah and Grenache Blanc, and these young vines are looking great. In most blocks, the vines are up the stake and currently being topped so we can select our cordons from the laterals that push. We are being very careful not to let them grow too fast so we will have just the right spacing between our future spur positions.”
“At Bootjack, we have trained the young Carmenere vines and expect to get our very first, very light crop off these youngest vines from the 2005 planting.”
“We are also redeveloping two blocks that were pulled out due to virus problems, in which we have taken the opportunity to divide the blocks differently and change the row direction, as well as the rootstocks and clones. Previously one block each of Merlot and Cabernet Franc, they are now two blocks each of Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc.”
“We are being assisted in our viticultural efforts by two new consultants –we needed two people to fill Jim Smoot’s shoes — Michael Walsh and Tom Prentice, both very accomplished veterans of the business, and we are happy to have their help.
“We continue to produce all the Niner wines from estate-grown fruit from our Bootjack Ranch on Highway 46 East. At Bootjack, there are currently 125 planted acres of Sauvignon Blanc, Barbera, Sangiovese, Syrah, Petite Sirah, Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon, Malbec, Petit Verdot and Carmenere.”
Even at the most successful and acclaimed wine estates, the vineyard work is never done.
