Archive for the 'Vineyard' Category

Sta. Rita Hills AVA

Published on June 23, 2009 in SRH Wines and Vineyard. 0 Comments

What makes our growing region (AVA) unique?

Lafond Vineyard is planted in the acclaimed Sta. Rita Hills AVA (American Viticultural Area). In 2001, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms (BATF) approved this designated area as its own unique appellation within the larger Santa Ynez AVA. Today there are three federally approved appellations in Santa Barbara County – Sta. Rita Hills, Santa Ynez Valley, Santa Maria Valley.

AVA designations are put in place to provide consumers with clear information in regards to the area that the wine was grown. Climatic and geographical influences are considered as well as slope and soil type. These factors are all very important components that influence the wine. The appeal to create a distinct AVA for the Sta. Rita Hills was put in place for these reasons – the distinct geological uniqueness of the area, combination of slope, climate (maritime), soil (sandy alluvial), and a desire to distinguish the western edge of Santa Ynez.

Our winemaker Bruce has said that it is not uncommon for temperature to drop one degree per mile as you drive closer to the ocean. Our vineyard is flanked by two east-west mountain ranges (Purisima Hills in the north and Santa Rosa Hills in the south) that funnel cool morning fog into the valley, thereby extending our growing season and creating wines of intense concentration and excellent acidity. Burgundian varietals, such as Pinot Noir and Chardonnay, flourish in this climate.

Syrah plantings in the region have a pronouced white pepper and lavendar aromatic profile compared to Syrah planted in the warmer inland area. It is a demonstration of two styles of Syrah both coming out of Santa Barbara County, and appellation labelling helps customers differentiate between the type of Syrah they are tasting or purchasing.

The Sta. Rita Hills AVA stretches roughly from Buellton on the east to Lompoc on the west. The unusual occurence of east-west rolling hills on the north and south are the other borders.

Lafond Vineyard was one of the first vineyards planted in the Sta. Rita Hills AVA in 1972.

Joanie Hudson, Director National and International Marketing, Santa Barbara Winery / Lafond Winery & Vineyards

Stressed-Out Vines

Published on April 6, 2009 in Growth Cycle, Joanie Hudson and Vineyard. 0 Comments Tags: , , , .

I’m sure you have all heard the saying that great wines happen in the vineyard.  The way a vineyard is farmed is ultimately one of the most, if not the most, important contributing  factor to producing wow-worthy wines.  I have recently been reading a lot about the impact of “stressing” the vines to get the most complex and flavorful fruit.  For example, placing your vines on a steep hillside, where they have to fight to flower, creates more intensity.  Inhibiting dramatic growth and high yields leads to better wines.

Here is an excerpt from an article on “Stressed-Out Vines” in Business Week:

Location, location, location.

And I bet you thought that well-worn phrase referred to the world of real estate.

Well, perhaps it does, but it also applies, with equal veracity, to the world of wine, specifically to the location of the vineyard from which a particular wine comes.

Most of Napa Valley’s pioneers planted their vineyards on the valley floor, where the soil was fertile, the land easy to work, and yields high. However, while these are conditions than can produce good wine, they rarely result in the best wine.

By contrast, all over the world, you often find this wine, the very best wine, wine with what I call the WOW! factor, that ability to amaze as well as please, comes not from the flat easy plains but the more challenging hill- or mountainside elevations.

Restrained Power

Poorer, rocky soil, lower temperatures—especially cooler nighttime temperatures—longer growing seasons and lower yields all lead to wines with those elusive, hard-to-define quality that mark great wine. Call it complexity, if you like—wines with that mysterious sense of restrained power, of depth and wonder.

Joanie Hudson, Assistant Tasting Room Manager, Santa Barbara Winery

March in the Vineyard

Published on March 8, 2009 in Vineyard and Wine News. 0 Comments Tags: , , , , .

These are photos taken last Saturday March 7. The Chardonnay and Pinot Noir are beginning to bud – just barely. The cover crop has grown, in spite of the very low rainfall, and needs to be cut. In some areas, where it is very sandy, it is cut and left to keep the soil in place, in others it will be cut and disked and turned into the soil so that it does not harbor harmful insects. The rows are narrow – 6 feet,  the tractor 4 feet and the ground is uneven. The driver in the photo is Enrique, our foreman. The last photo is a view form our upper vineyard looking south. The Lafond Winery is accross the river at the foot of the mountains.

View of Lafond Vineyard in September

Published on September 20, 2008 in Lafond Winery and Vineyard. 0 Comments Tags: , , , .

Photo taken September 19, 2008, before harvest. The vines are beginning to stress as the grapes ripen. Harvest, in this block, will probably begin within the next two weeks. This photo does not include the Martin Ray Pinot Noir block mentioned in the previous blog.

The Lafond Winery is in the distance just below the hills.

Click image to enlarge:

The Nets are Coming Off the Pinot Noir

Published on September 20, 2008 in Harvest, Pinot Noir and Vineyard. 0 Comments Tags: , .

This is our first picking of Pinot Noir this year. Winemaker, Bruce McGuire, assures me that although late it is not the latest. We once started picking Pinot Noir the first of October.

This is our oldest block of Pinot Noir, planted in the early eighties, on its own rootstock and in 12′ foot rows. The clone is Martin Ray named after one of, if not the pioneer of Pinot Noir in California. We have re-planted most of our old blocks and we will probably do this one as well, eventually, but what saves it, for the time being, is the quality of the fruit. We have an excellent limited production Martin Ray 2006 Pinot Noir in our current listings.

The first photo shows the fruit and you will notice it is on two levels. In our newer planting the fruit is all on one level for better exposure and better control of the canopy. The canopy, through photsynthesis, ripens the fruit.

The second photo is of workers removing the nets. As anyone, who has netted their plants knows, removing nets is much more difficult than applying them.


Organic Ornamental Edible Flowers at lafond Vineyards

Published on September 6, 2008 in Our Organic Garden and Vineyard. 0 Comments Tags: , , , .

Rose Moradian on Organic Edible Flowers

When I began planting the Vegetable Garden I thought of Flowers, too. Not just edible flowers, but pleasurable flowers that accompany a fine meal on the table. Plus, I knew that beneficial insects love to cruise around flowers collecting the pollen. Insects see colors differently from us. What we see as vivid color is absolutely psychedelic to insects.

The flowers I chose to bring into the scheme of the Veggie Garden are old fashioned and colorful, all by seed. You will recognize some of these flowers as vegetables, but its all in how you use them. There are no rules where beauty is concerned. Zinnias, Sweet Peas,Sunflowers, Mexican Sunflowers, Artichoke blooms, Nasturtiums, Rudbeckia, Agastache, Salvia Ulglinosa and herbs like Basil and Mint for filler and scent.

As you can see, Artichokes when in bloom are a vivid violet blue, a perfect off set color for the yellow of Mexican Sunflowers. Zinnias are a charming flower, full of themselves with layers of petals thick, a full center with tiny little nectar pads that Swallowtail butterflies devour! Zinnias grow in a far range of colors, always bright and full with long stems. The Sweet Peas are growing very well in terroir of Lafond. What a magnificent fragrance Sweet Peas! 

I decided to be patriotic and grow red, white and blue, as well as special “Spencer” types. Its a bit like England on Santa Rosa Road, with just enough chill to keep the blooms coming. When Wendys Sweet Peas began to go to seed from the heat here in SB, at Lafond they began to bloom. Next year I plan on growing an entire 150′ row of Sweet Peas! Nasturtiums, Mint and Basil are all edible and all pleasant flowers for bouquets and for the plate.

If you need a fragrant flower in your colorful but not fragrant bouquet, use Mint or Agastache. Both are unremarkable flowers but heavenly smelling! Look for my bouquets at the Lafond Bistro and the Deli. As long as I have blooms, I’ll make simple arrangements for both locations. We are selling Nasturtiums at the Deli for salads and garnish, $4 for 15 organic blooms. A beautiful and healthy addition to your dining experience!