Getting Started

We bought the property in 2019 and decided to start planting in 2020.  But first, we needed a source of water.  Since our property backs up against an irrigation canal, we choose to use the canal as our water source for the vineyard.  So we built a pond to hold the water.

After the pond and irrigation lines were laid, we tilled the land and set the trellis posts and strung the trelis wire.  Then, we augered holes to speed up planting all the vines.  About this time, the COVID lockdowns started.  That slowed us up a bit but not too much.

We choose to plant 425 Cabernet Sauvignon (shown above), 400 Syrah, and 400 Tempranillo in the back section of the property.  Planting went quickly and we finished in about a week.

Last, in the front section of the property, we planted 275 Riesling and 25 Sauvignon Blanc.  We choose this combination to provide an herbal Riesling rather than a semi-sweet Riesling.

After that, we waited for the vines to grow.  Around mid-summer we had concerns because the Cab and Syrah vines were not growing.  Calling the nursery, we found out an early frost that fall had damaged those varietals much more severely than thought.  Subsequently, we replanted much of the Syrah and Cab vines in 2021.  Now, we waiting for the vines to grow and mature enough to fruit.