http://forums.winespectator.com/eve/ubb ... /868102203
We keep forgetting the camera when we go, but last week on a rainy afternoon, Stefania took a few shots while I walked around with the vineyard owner Reed on a progress tour.
Reed owns 3 acres that are being planted. With the agreement that he'd clear the debris from a forest fire two years ago he got a small group of his neighbors to add their land on a lease agreement to the vineyard. We'll plant about 6 acres this year with another 5+ next.
The vineyard is on the ridgeline of the Santa Cruz Mountains at 2800 feet. The first big mountain in the chain is one you've heard of, Montebello, then Mount Eden, the last is Mount Maddona, which is this site.
This is the main site planted mainly to Tempranillo. You can see some of the ash from the fire. We'll install the trellis next season to spread out costs. The first plants are waking up. This one is Tempranillo.
We left the middle area here clear of plants to allow cold air to drain off the mountain. Leaving the native grass was a tough call. Reed liked keeping things natural, and I was worried about errosion. Turned out to be a good call. A vineyard 5 miles away that was plowed and covered with a non native cover washed away this winter.
The soil is typical Santa Cruz Mountains. It's called Franciscan and is red clay and sand over fractured limestone and sandstone. You can also see the deer fencing. Here's a close up of the poor, well draining soil. Perfect for grapes!
This steep hill is planted with Syrah. It will be head trained and hand worked due to the slope. I'm on the right, Reed is on the left. More of the steep hill. From the top of the hill you can see the Pacific all the way to Monterey on most days. The fog line is about 400 feet below the vineyard.
Another view of the main site. It's 6 miles of one lane road, then 2 miles of dirt road to the site. One more shot of the main site. They were working on clearing 4 additional acres behind this last week, hoping to get 2-3 planted this season.
I'm consulting and Reed is doing the hard work. I'll buy grapes from the vineyard when it's ready. A few local winemakers including Jeff Embry at Santa Cruz Mountains winery and Marty Mathis at Kathryn Kennedy are also interested in getting grapes when the vineyard is ready.
