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2010 Syrah / Mourvedre
2010 Syrah / Mourvedre
$29.00


Vineyard Update March 2011
dscn1906
Pruned Cabernet vine & discarded wood
On February 7th we had a crew of 25 experienced vineyard workers start pruning and training vines in our 40 acres estate vineyard.  The crew handled an amazing 43,000 vines in just 5 days.  For the most part our vines are bilateral cordons with spur pruning.  Cordons are the arms of the plant which spread in either direction (i.e., bilaterally) from the top of the main trunk. The spurs -- gnarled woody protrusions from the cordons-are the points from which the fruiting canes grow upward. The workers choose a woody cane from each spur position prune it back to 2 buds. They nip the other cane from last season off at the base. In the spring time these 2 buds will push out one shoot each, which are capable of producing up to 3 clusters in the coming season. We select lower canes, which helps keep the spurs from getting too long. We also try to select canes in a "good" position to avoid potential crossing of the growing shoots. In some sections of the vineyard we have large vigorous vines due to richer soil and water availabilty.  In order to help balance out these vines in size we leave a sacrifical shoot about 6 buds long that will soak up some of the vigor.  We call the sacrificial shoots a kicker cane or rod.  Later in the season after the berries have started to size up and change color we will cut off the entire kicker cane along with 10+ clusters of fruit that it bears.  We leave the kicker canes at the end of the cordon, since this is where we tend to see the most vine crowding. Removing the kicker cane opens up the canopy.

 

Our vines were first planted in 2002. As our vineyard matures there are some grape varieties that play the role of the redheaded stepchild.  Cabernet Franc, for example, has had problems with vine health, ripening and flavor intensity over the years.  In 2009 it looked like Cabernet Franc might be on the chopping block, ready to be grafted over to another variety.  Since I really like the variety, I have taken on the role of being the Cab Franc cheerleader at Rangeland Wines. Last year I spent extra time on the block thinning fruit and leaves to help this lagging varietal shine. As a result, in 2010 we saw the most promising results yet (25 brix!).

While the Cabernet Franc may not get the distinction of being listed as the sole variety on our label, it is playing an important role in a new co-fermented wine we are experimenting with. Most blended wines are fermented and aged separately, then combined at a later date before bottling. We picked small lots of Merlot, Petit Verdot, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Cabernet Franc all in one day late last season. Then we crushed them together to co-ferment.  The early barrel tastings of that wine are very promising, so I am happy to note that at least some of our Cabernet Franc will likely survive as valuable role player in our vineyard mix.