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WINEMAKING TECHNICAL SPOTLIGHT 72 WINES&VINES May 2016 IN THE VINEYARD, AN EIGHTH-GRADE DANCE After purchasing the property that would be- come the site of their winery, winemaker Mike Sullivan and the rest of the management team at Benovia Winery embarked on an ambitious plan in 2008 to develop a new vineyard as well. The 42-acre vineyard is planted with 10 heritage clones of Pinot Noir and four of Chardonnay. Sullivan said the vineyard is planted at high density with 5-foot rows (or between 2,200 and 2,722 vines per acre). Each vine has about 4 square feet of space, and Sullivan said that provides a natural limit on the amount of inputs required per vine. "The 'small vine' concept allows for each vine to carry less crop and requires less water and fertilizer, hopefully achieving a more sustainable vineyard," Sul- livan said. "By limiting the crop of each plant, it allows for the vine to work more efficiently and therefore ripen fruit more evenly." Prior to planting, the owners also elected to install extensive underground drainage to further help ensure uniform vine growth and grape ripening. "Some of it is maximizing your investment; planting at higher density gives you ideally higher quality with less input and still maintaining some commercial quantity," he said. "What we like is we're able to reduce our vine yield and still achieve commercial per acreage tonnage." The tighter rows do require specialized equipment. Most of the vineyard work is done with Goldoni tracked tractors. Sullivan said the Goldonis offer more horsepower and less soil compaction. The winery also has a narrow-width Kubota tractor. Sullivan said the vineyard is not only more densely planted than normal, he also planted with an eye toward diversity. The heritage clones are from Francis Mahoney's extensive work with the University of California, Davis, in identifying and cultivating different Pinot clones from throughout California. "They're not mass- production clones, they're heritage selections," Sullivan said. "A lot of people in Russian River have been planting Dijon clones for the past 20 years, and I certainly know what Dijon 115 tastes like from this area, but I don't know what all these heritage clones taste like." Grapes from the heritage clones are often fermented in small tanks as part of trials that Sullivan conducts to get a better sense of how the clones work on the vineyard site. Uniform ripening is a top priority, but Sullivan and vineyard manager Chris Kangas use vineyard techniques to help ensure quality. Sullivan used building color as an example. He said the vines are trained with two canes in a double cyrot system to allow just enough dappled sunlight. When vineyard workers go through thinning young clusters, they have a very specific image in mind. "What I say to the crew when they go through and thin is, 'I don't want it to be a fifth-grade dance with the kids on both sides of the room, and I don't want it to be a high school dance where they're on top of each other. I want it to be an eighth-grade dance,'" he said. The clusters should be close but still have just enough room between them—or as one vineyard worker suggested, "just enough room for Jesus." It's an expression that Sullivan, who grew up attending Catholic school, readily ap- preciates. "I love that, it's a great saying." Toll-Free: 877-552-4828 909-464-1373 • Fax: 909-464-1603 For your nearest dealer, contact: Quick and economical, this long-lasting dripline holder can be installed in seconds. The built-in saddle prevents water flow restriction. Available in 1/2" and 7/8" sizes. Patent No. 4,615,140 DRIPLOK™ WinVineDripLok AD.qxp_Layout 1 12/1/14 2:52 PM