Issue link: http://winesandvines.uberflip.com/i/62522
GRAPE GRO WING liberally to encourage airflow. The vine rows are aligned with the Salinas Valley in order to take advantage of the afternoon winds that average 14-20 mph. These winds rush down the vine rows, dry the clusters and help to reduce disease pressure. Pisoni Vineyards is higher in elevation at 1,300 feet. The fog burns off earlier, and occasionally the property is above the fog line entirely. This gives more sun and drier conditions that naturally reduce the disease pressure. Leaf pulling is focused on the inside of the canopy to prevent con- gestion and create a tunnel where the fruit resides below a layer of leaves. Additional- ly, the decomposed granite soil at our Pisoni Vineyards is leaner than our other two ranches, and the vines often struggle to reach the required canopy size. Thus, we shoot thin more aggressively and earlier to focus the vine's energy. W&V: How do you decide when to irrigate? Pisoni: We use a combination of methods to determine our ir- rigation timing. First, we look at winter rainfall. The Santa Lucia Highlands is a very dry appellation, receiving 12 to 18 inches (of precipitation) per year, all in the winter months. The timing and amount of these winter rains, along with the type of soil and its water-holding capacity, gives us an idea of when the soils will begin to dry out. CALIFORNIA San Francisco Pacific Ocean CALIFORNIA Monterey Garys' Vineyard Soberanes Vineyard Pisoni Vineyards Paso Robles NV During the growing season, I feel the simplest and most important signs are the visual cues that the vines give you: leaf color and angle, shoot and internode growth, tendril length, etc. In addition to visual cues, we rely on some technical data. We take pressure bomb readings weekly and track data from our Ranch Systems Weather Station. The weather stations track the basics, as well as evapotranspiration and soil moisture at various depths. W&V: What sort of disease pressures do you have, and how do you deal with them? Was it more difficult this year? Pisoni: The late rains and mild summer in 2011 increased mildew and botrytis pressure in the cool-climate Santa Lucia Highlands. We work closely with a pest- control advisor and base our spray pro- gram on the Gubler Powdery Mildew Index. The index assesses the risk of disease development by relating it to air temperature and tells you how often you need to spray to protect the vines. Index readings are emailed to me three times a week from Dow and are based on a local weather station. Early season applications are primarily sulfur, on a seven- to 10-day schedule. We then switch to sterol inhibitors and strobi- lurin-based fungicides such as Rally or Quintec. We also often rotate fungicides that have different modes of action. Alternating modes of action prevent resistance from developing. This year, as a result of the weather pressures, including even more fog, we tightened our summer spray intervals from approximately 21- day intervals down to 14-day intervals. W&V: You grow Pinot Noir, Chardonnay and Syrah. Is one variety more challenging than the others? Wines & Vines DeCeMBeR 2011 37