More Than One Way to Grow a Grape

Clos LaChance vineyard manager Ben Scorsur, left, and winemaker Stephen Tebb check on a weather station that monitors solar radiation, humidity, rainfall and wind speed and direction. "We can measure and manage as many growth and production variables as possible," Clos LaChance owner Bill Murphy says. (By Fred Lyon)

Crop and soil scientists say the soil at biodynamically farmed vineyards contains significantly more organic matter and microbial activity than the soil at conventionally managed vineyards. In 2005, a study in the American Journal of Enology and Viticulture concluded that biodynamically grown grapes contained significantly higher amounts of sugars, plant pigments and compounds that add complexity to aging wine.

In February, Paul Dolan Vineyards released Deep Red, a blend of syrah, petite syrah and zinfandel grapes grown at Dark Horse Ranch. It is the first bottle of wine produced by the wine company from biodynamically grown grapes. At a recent tasting, it drew raves from Burgundy winemaker Mounir Saouma.

"I've been drinking Deep Red looking for its varietal character," Saouma says. "But I've found an expression of place."

On the other end of the spectrum, winemakers Stephen Tebb from Clos LaChance and Keith Emerson from Vineyard 29 are also trying to cultivate terroir at their vineyards, not through a spiritual connection but through a technological one. Industry observers single them out as the most technologically innovative wineries in the nation.

At Clos LaChance, owner Bill Murphy says the old-world techniques aren't enough. "We've added technology to the mix so that we can measure and manage as many growth and production variables as possible," he says.

Murphy, recently retired director of marketing for Hewlett-Packard, planted 85 acres of grapes near the winery in 2001. With 20 varieties of grapes to tend in his San Martin vineyard, he considered several soil types, planting depths, microclimates and even the arc of the sun before laying out the vineyard. Then he wired it.

"If you listen close enough, the vines will talk to you," Murphy says.

Technology, though, is what helps the staff understand what the vines are saying. Remotely operated weather stations report solar radiation, humidity, rainfall and wind speed and direction from the three microclimates. Moisture sensors and an irrigation system deliver water and fertilizer to each area containing the same type of rootstock, grape, soil, trellis and irrigation pattern. That encourages vines to develop uniformly, meaning grapes ripen simultaneously and yield more consistent wines.

With the click of a mouse, winemaker Stephen Tebb can adjust the temperature of the must, the juice of freshly pressed grapes, stored in a 6,000-gallon fermentation tank. "Say I want to make a fruity chardonnay with no oak influence," he says. "The control I have over the temperature during fermentation allows me to retain the fruity esters and volatile compounds that would otherwise evaporate."

Like Murphy at Clos LaChance, Chuck McMinn also electrified Vineyard 29 and Aida vineyards north of St. Helena when he bought them in 2001. His attraction to technology makes sense: As a former product manager at Intel and founder of Covad Communications, he's an information-age pioneer.

At Vineyard 29, once the holding tanks ferment the must, the juice drains into American and French oak barrels stored in a 14,000-square-foot cave, where a computer controls air temperature, humidity and light.

It's all an attempt to reduce inconsistency, which Roger Boulton, professor of enology at the University of California at Davis, says plagues vineyards large and small. "You can sample a half-dozen bottles of 2002 cabernet sauvignon from the same vineyard block, and each will taste different," he says.

For wineries such as Vineyard 29, which produces a mere 36,000 bottles a year (compared with 720,000 bottles at Clos LaChance and 900 million at a behemoth such as Gallo), consistent vintages are crucial. At $100 per bottle, the winery can't afford a disappointing year.

"Our commitment to traditional winemaking techniques remains as strong as ever," says Keith Emerson, Vineyard 29 winemaker. "But we learn from each crop by measuring as many variables as possible."

During a recent heat wave, for example, Emerson referred to last year's vineyard records to determine whether to irrigate a block of cabernet franc with four gallons of water twice a week or eight gallons once a week.

"We are just trying to strike the right balance between science and art," Emerson says, between "consistency and a memorable bottle of wine."

Thomas Ulrich writes about innovation in the wine industry for Wines & Vines magazine. He lives in San Jose, Calif.