Issue link: http://winesandvines.uberflip.com/i/619725
January 2016 WINES&VINES 69 WINEMAKER INTERVIEW County agricultural commissioner Rhonda Smith describes this phenomenon. For Sauvignon Blanc, the story was similar. Even though we recently planted 22 acres of this varietal, most of these grapes currently come from local growers. Some vineyards were down more than 50%. The set was so poor in some cases that the clusters looked like they had been stripped, with only a few berries left clinging to the rachis. I saw this shortage com- ing early in the season and was fortunately able to purchase enough grapes to come close to our annual production goal. Q How about the effects of yet another year of drought? How are you conserv- ing water in the vineyards and the winery? Edwards: Another year of drought has been stressful on overall vine health. Coupled with a warm winter, the lack of rain encouraged a population boom in many insect populations, like the blue-green sharpshooter (the vector for Pierce's disease) and mites, which thrive in dusty conditions. Incomplete soil saturation in the wintertime means additional vine stress, causing any weakness to be magnified. An example of this would be the presence of a red leaf virus—those symptoms might be hidden and managed when conditions are more moderate. Even prior to the current drought, we have always been cautious about the application of water in our vineyards because we enhance quality in our Pinot by practicing the deficit theory of irrigation. We manage this using a pressure bomb and by monitoring vine appear- ance and soil moisture. Once we observe a moderate level of stress, we apply water. As a result, irrigation occurs a maximum of three to four times late in the season. About 6 gallons per vine per irrigation every seven to 10 days meets this requirement, depending upon the weather. However, these few water applica- tions are critical; if no water were applied, the fruit would not ripen, but merely dry up and turn to raisins. As part of facing the drought challenge, late in 2013, we cleaned out our large 7.5 acre-foot pond at Meredith Estate Vineyard to ensure there were no leaks and to make sure we could use its full capacity to collect rainwater for frost protection and irrigation. In the winery, we primarily use ozone for sanitation, which re- duces the amount of rinsing required when you use other chemicals. Our industrial point-of- use water heaters give us instant hot water when needed. This means no hoses running A NEW STYLE OF SAUVIGNON BLANC T he market is full of bright, young, grassy Sauvignon Blancs, but wine- maker Merry Edwards decided to take a different approach with her Russian River Sauvignon Blanc. Edwards made her first Sauvignon Blanc in 1979, while she was the winemaker at Matanzas Creek in Sonoma County. She wasn't really fond of the prevailing style, so "I engaged in the challenge of how to make this varietal appealing to me person- ally," Edwards says. "The typical herbaceous character was intensified by the trellis- ing systems of the day, which shrouded the grapes with leaves, promoting not only a high production of pyrazines, but botrytis and other secondary molds." She had heard that barrel fermentation reduced the grassy, bell pepper aromas that she didn't like. "So I tried that technique as a first step, using primarily neutral and a small amount of new French oak," Edwards says. "Next, I researched lees-stirring and added this to my protocol. This resulted in a substantial increase in mouthfeel." She also discovered the Sauvignon Musqué clone. "I used this to add floral notes to the aroma, further muting grassiness. Modern trellis systems and moderate leaf pulling encourage more fruit-forward characteristics. "Last, a full six months of barrel aging and time on cork during bottle aging broadened the wine's complexity. Now I have a wine that I enjoy!" She adds that the wine can age for 10 years. "We have a very, very good following." Edwards likes the Musqué clone's floral notes. Toll-Free: 877-552-4828 909-464-1373 • Fax: 909-464-1603 For your nearest dealer, contact: WIREVISE® Trellis & Fence Wire Anchor This trellis and fence wire anchor securely holds wires to end-posts. Insert the wire into and through the wirevise. It automatically locks onto the wire. No tools required. To tighten, just pull more wire through the vise. A release tool is available from AgFast for 12- 16 gauge wire. WinesVines WireVise AD.qxp_Layout 1 12/1/14 2:3