Flowers, Sunshine & Bubbles
November 2018
We launched our spring viticulture campaign with new equipment to drive efficiencies as we transition to organic viticulture. Equipment to shock the true believer; a modern multifarious spray unit all the better, faster to disseminate crucial organic prophylactic sprays. Medieval style metal rollers and sullen pressure sensitive blades now control our vineyard floors, the pasture rolls over holding rainfall to provide for vines’ spring flush.
Pobblebonk is our field blend. Our inspiration was Jermann in Friuli; specifically, their Vintage Tunina and Capo Martino blends; Pobblebonk is a field blend grown organically on our property with varieties that we pioneered; Friulano, Pinot Grigio, and the floral Moscato Giallo and Malvasia; and existing aged (1982) vineyard plots of Riesling & Chardonnay.
Seventeen Rows Pinot Noir is our heritage block. The vineyard was planted by Stan & Joan Paul in 1982 just before anyone else down here was thinking about it. Old fashioned wide rows collide with the modern vogue of Pinot Noir. Sunshine streams in, the vines suffer from old age and dryland farming setting small crops of tiny fruit rich in natural acid, tannin and power. Our earlier mechanical methods of weed removal was deleterious on any old trunks leaning out of line. They still live and provide for us but this year we are training up a young shoot beside so we never lose access to where those roots have penetrated.
Bubbles are best formed naturally. We make around 400 dozen a year of bottle fermented wine we call Secco Splendido. Dry because our sparkling wines have no sulphur thus to make them microbiologically stable they must have no sugar. Splendid because they are young and redolent of the bright grapey aromatic only Muscat grapes issue. Redmondo 2016 on sale at the Cellar Door until stocks are finished (should take a month at most) then segue to Secco Splendido Metodo Ancestrale riddling on racks as we speak.
