In my last post, I wrote that working with the terroir of a vineyard site is like being handed the keys to a new BMW. How do you drive it?  A writer friend of mine reminded me that I hadn’t answered that question yet, so we sat down for a little question and answer session, which follows:

What is your definition of terroir?

Simply put, it’s all of the physical characteristics of a site. That includes soil, climate (including rainfall, wind and fog) and elements of topography like elevation, slope and exposure. Beyond those physical features, of course, your farming philosophy will also come into play.

What makes a potential vineyard site look promising?

Let’s assume you are in a cool climate region like Carneros appropriate for growing Pinot Noir.  When considering bare ground for a vineyard, you need a clear picture in mind of what constitutes a good vineyard, which, of course, derives from your education and experience. You have to know what you want from the site, then read the land to see if you have it.

You’re really looking for uniformity – similar soils and slopes that lend themselves to being worked as a single unit. You might, for example, observe the growth of cover grasses, noting either their natural evenness or lack thereof. You could take soil samples much as a doctor tests a patient for baselines such as height, weight, blood pressure and pulse rate. You may look deeper into the soil profile with a backhoe pit to discover the degree of soil uniformity, clay content, soil depth or the existence of hardpan.

Often your decision about the suitability of a site will relate to water – annual rainfall, water-holding capacity and drainage. If you’re in a low rainfall area, you may not need as much slope for drainage, or you may be fine farming on the flats, but not down in the swales.

Isn’t it true that Burgundian grand cru sites tend to be on slopes?

Yes, but it’s important to keep in mind that Burgundy and California comparisons are often “apples and oranges.” It is true that there, as here, the slopes are literally middle ground, hilltops are generally leaner, lower vigor areas while the ground at the base of slopes is wetter, siltier and thus, more vigorous. That’s a function of gravity, a constant in both regions. However, with drier growing seasons in California, the amount of slope is not as critical for good drainage.

What made you confident that your sites could yield “ultimate Pinot?”

First, I know them intimately. The Donum Estate comprises three vineyards: Donum Ranch (70 acres) and Ferguson Block (20 acres), adjacent to each other on the first hillsides rising off the bay in Carneros, and Nugent Vineyards (11 acres) in the Russian River Valley.

I have worked with Ferguson Block since 1981. I planted Donum Ranch beginning in 1989 and Nugent Vineyards in 1997. I walked the land until I knew how to lay out units with the goal of uniformity. And now having farmed those blocks all these years, I understand the nuances of how the ground responds.

Some feel that how you balance crop levels can adjust for variations in topography, but I prefer what I think is an easier, simpler approach — uniform units. On the other hand, this is commercial farming, so the units can’t be too small. One of our grand cru sites at the Donum Ranch is the 5.5-acre 4-90 block, source of our new vineyard designate called West Slope. To achieve uniformity on this block, for example, we chose to irrigate the top portion differently than the lower half of the slope.

Our rainy season is generally December through February, and we’ve already had quite a bit of rain this year. Sometimes rainfall ceases, and other years we may receive three to five inches or more in March and April. So we adjust and work with the season. In a wet year, we may mow our cover grasses and let them grow out again. In a drought year, we may incorporate them into the soil in every other row.

What are other methods you use to adjust to the season?

My vineyard team and I will touch each vine eight times during the growing season. Those operations are 1) pruning and tying, 2) first suckering, 3) trellis wire moving and shoot positioning, 4) lateral removal, 5) leaf removal, 6) weak shoot thinning, 7) green thinning and harvest.

Given that we have good ground and carefully tended vines, each of those operations is a tweak, a slight adjustment to the vintage. If we have difficult conditions during bloom and set and a resultant poor set and shatter, that will mean our green thinning will be different – maybe we’ll remove second crop.

If we have a wet year, we may make an extra pass to open the canopy more. If we have a heavy fruit set or wings on the clusters, we may have to manage the clusters so there is no fruit on fruit to prevent rot. Normally we start with ten-bud canes and about 28 to 30 clusters, and we end up with 18 to 20.

So do lower yields mean better quality?

In general, both in Burgundy and in California, lower yields equate with greater concentration in the fruit. We want balanced, evenly and completely ripened fruit. That means that clusters from weak shoots should have been suckered or shaded fruit removed, because they won’t provide the same, uniform composition. With better understanding of your site, the season and the wine you want to make, you will make better decisions.

Your title is “winegrower.” Are wines made in the vineyard?

Yes. The best wines are. Farming and winemaking need to be connected. They are part of the same continuum. Great fruit needs less manipulation so that the wine practically makes itself in the cellar with a minimal amount of shepherding.

One reason we consider this an “ultimate Pinot Noir” project is that there is one vision from pruning to bottling. By being totally estate grown from our three sources, we are heavy-handed on the vineyard side and we really do grow the wine. It’s no coincidence that our winemaker, Kenneth Juhasz, spends considerable time in the vineyards to observe, discuss and taste what we are doing.

The other key factor is doing it over time; we learn something more with each vintage.

All right, how do you drive terroir?

Here in California we have unique conditions in that our summers are dry. So water is the gas pedal. We have excellent tools to tell us what the moisture content is in the vine and in the soil. We can use water to trigger growth. We can offset heat spikes with water and cool the stressed vines. And in a cool season, we can back off. We can adjust to what the vintage gives us.

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