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September 2011 Winery & Vineyard Economics Issue

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WINEMAKING • higher level of compaction. A radically different set of parameters drove higher anthocyanins. These were as- sociated with: • deeper soil profile, • thick subsurface layer, • slightly thicker surface layer, • decreased soil moisture throughout the profile preceding veraison, • compaction at deeper depths. But did these derived parameters consti- into left and right gondolas, shifting belt between low- and high-anthocyanin areas. showed that the Merjan property's surface and subsurface texture profiles varied in percentage clay and sand. Higher Brix was associated with five soil characteristics: • shallower soil, • thicker subsurface layer, • thin surface layer, • higher early season soil moisture through- out the profile, tute true grape behavior drivers, or were they merely descriptive of a particular situ- ation? The first step in testing their predic- tive power was to alter conditions within the Merjan Vineyard the following year. "I figured that we should be able to improve the bad areas and make the good areas worse," says Wample. In 2008, his altera- tions in irrigation regimen proved success- ful in improving scores for poor areas and also in decreasing those of the previously high-performing areas. Surprised at the success of this experi- ment, Wample next decided on a rigorous acid test. If his parameters were really a look into the deep psyche of Cabernet Sauvignon, what would happen if he applied them in completely different vineyard conditions? Wample took his model derived in two hot climate Region V Central Valley vine- yards to the chilly, windswept and highly celebrated terroir of Ridge's Montebello Vineyard, high in the Santa Cruz Moun- tains above Saratoga. Since STI had al- ready done soils mapping for them, he boldly approached Ridge with the idea of a double-blind predictive study to see if he could establish correlation despite the completely different conditions and the high degree of hands-on vineyard care. Unlike Marjan's sand and clay textures, Ridge's soils are a mix of limestone and greenstone, a compressed mudstone muck high in problematic magnesium. "We were able to get a very high predictive correla- tion within zones at Ridge, over 90%," Wample reports. Always a practical industry guy, Wample is greatly enjoying a move to the private sector. "After just a year, I have hundreds of clients interested in my work." But in the lofty, philosophical firmament Califor- nia's top Cabernets inhabit, his quest for the grail presents one river yet to cross. Holistic challenges Connecting the dots between what he sees in the vineyard and the artistic goals of Ridge winemaker Paul Draper is the work Wines & Vines sePTeMBeR 2011 59

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