Issue link: http://winesandvines.uberflip.com/i/101495
GRAPEGROWING The first vintage of Darms Lane Cabernet Sauvignon was produced in 2005 and released in 2008. Cabernet Sauvignon is king here, of course. It is a young vineyard, but already it is apparent to the owner and winemaker where the better wine-producing plots lie, and these are all planted with Cabernet Sauvignon. After partial ownership in the property dating back to 1990, Larry and Linda Bump transitioned to 100% ownership in 2003, and their daughter Tricia Bump Davis now runs the show day-to-day, with Larry���s role being that of strategist. The winemaker is Brian Mox, a chemist-turned-winemaker. Mox has concentrated his efforts for Darms Lane on producing wines that naturally reflect the vineyard soils. According to Mox and Bump Davis, the best quality wines come from block B (planted with clone 337 on rootstock 110R), which coincides very nicely with what I mapped as a basalt-basaltic andesite unit just in front and east of the tasting room. This rock unit has higher calcium, magnesium and iron than the others, with the calcium and magnesium (the latter in moderation) typically being considered an asset for grapegrowing. Iron���with its complex biogeochemical behavior (especially in the presence of calcium), and not being universally recognized as a highly important constituent (other than as a micronutrient)���seems anecdotally to have higher importance as a nutrient for high wine quality within the Sonoma Volcanics. Basalt-basaltic andesite is a fine-grained, dark (nearly black), formerly molten rock that occurs in dikes (i.e., tabular slabs of rock that are younger than, and cut across, the other rock units.) Unlike the other volcanic units, this rock probably never made it to the surface when it was in its molten state, but it may have served as a feeder system to other volcanic rocks that have long since eroded away. The sliver of basalt-basaltic andesite dike that crosses Darms Lane, and which came up the aforementioned Trefethen fault, is small but had a great impact in producing Darms Lane Bon Passe Cabernet, the pride of the vineyard. Second best is block E (planted with clone 4 on rootstock 110R), which produces grapes for another Cabernet Sauvignon called Linda���s Hillside. Block E is traversed by a contact between two rock types, namely basaltic andesiteandesite and basalt-basaltic andesite, so the respective contributions to wine quality are not so clear-cut���basalt- basaltic andesite being established as good as per Block B, but the basaltic andesite-andesite not otherwise clearly a good rock unit. Since the wine is a blend between the two, possibly the basaltbasaltic andesite is contributing more to the quality. This is speculation, however, because it is the only south-facing slope on the property, and maybe this was an equally important factor. Geology can be messy but, in this case, the fact that the vineyard is sourced from two lithologies is an artificial problem that complicates the analysis. Third best is Cabernet Sauvignon from blocks C9-C12 (planted with clone 7 on rootstock 101-14), and within these blocks the better quality is on the west side, more on the hillside. The favorable unit here is the dacite, same as the favorable dacite unit at Shifflett, and colluvial soil (slope wash) derived from dacite. Trefethen Family Vineyards Trefethen Family Vineyards is owned by Janet and John Trefethen, well-known personalities in Napa and a major force SEE US AT UNIFIED, BOOTH #1039 Win es & Vin es JA N UA RY 20 13 91