Issue link: http://winesandvines.uberflip.com/i/66135
G r AP e G ro WING We're liking 214 and 327 better than previous clones of Cab- ernet Franc. The same way with the Petit Verdot: Now we like clone 400. Paso Robles has been much more user-friendly. The tweaking has been more in irrigation practices or in pruning or in balanc- ing the vines. I'm very much a believer in going back to cane pruning for Cabernet in Paso, for instance, because we spread the fruit out more. W&V: You mentioned your earlier experience with Pinot Noir, but it's only been fairly recently that you introduced two Pinots from Arroyo Seco—Falcon's Perch and Fog's Reach. Considering your location in an area that has proved to be good for Pinot, why were you so late to the party? Lohr: We had made the decision in 1989 to really focus on Cabernet and Chardonnay. Pinot is still marginal in that it's a low-yielding, relatively high-input crop. You need to handle it carefully. You need to have almost entirely different equipment in the winery. We were barely able to keep up with the demand for Chardonnay and Cabernet. At the same time, we watched the other Pinot clones, like the Dijon clones. There was a lot of experimentation. When clones (INRA) 113, 114 and 115 came out, I wasn't too excited about those in our area. So I waited for another generation to come out and tried to get grapes to make wine in small quantities. We have kind of settled on a combination now of Pommard 4, 115, 667 and 777. We have those on two different rootstocks, so in the same block we will have six or eight combinations. We harvest them separately and ferment them separately. We built a small-lot winery within our winery in Paso Robles, with open-top 6- and 12-ton fermentors. It's all gravity. We have Mori_Nov05.qxt 9/19/05 3:29 PM Page 1 "You need to handle Pinot carefully. You need to have almost entirely different equipment." —Jerry Lohr an entirely separate sorting system. We hand-harvest. We thought that, before we do it, we want to do everything right. A resident of the Santa Cruz Mountains, Laurie Daniel has been a journal- ist for more than 25 years. She has been writing about wine for publications for nearly 15 years and has been a Wines & Vines contributor since 2006. You know how good your SUPPLIERS OF QUALITY VIRUS CERTIFIED GRAFTED GRAPEVINES Deadline for Custom Grafted Order For Spring Planting is January of Previous Year For Further Information & Pricing Please Call or Write 1912 Concession 4 R.R. #2 Niagara-on-the-Lake Ontario, Canada LOS 1J0 Phone: 905-468-0822 Fax: 905-468-0344 Zinfandel is... Promote your wines to leading Zinfandel enthusiasts and extend your winery's relationship in the market. Join Us! We are champions of Zinfandel— America's Heritage Wine Become part of our proud legacy zinfandel.org • 530-274-4900 Zinfandel Advocates & Producers is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization. ZAP is dedicated to advancing public knowledge of and appreciation for American Zinfandel and its unique place in our culture and history. Wines & Vines JUne 2011 59