This beautiful slab of limestone was unearthed during tiling

Step 1: Acquisition

Heart & Hands began with a dream of finding the ideal site for growing Pinot Noir in the Finger Lakes.  For us, this meant finding a vineyard site situated on limestone bedrock, in near proximity to the lake, near a scenic byway.  In 2007, we found and acquired 7 acres of this land on Cayuga Lake, and we began the years-long process of developing the winery and vineyard into what is is today.

We were hopeful that as demand for our wines grew, we would need to expand the size of our vineyard plantings, either with our growers, or by locating additional acreage nearby.  Susan led discussions with nearby property owners to see if there was any interest in selling land.  Fortunately, in January of 2017, we acquired the land just to the north of our existing estate vineyard.

The latest purchase of land is optimal for us for several reasons.  First, because it is adjacent to our existing property, it has the same geology and soils as our existing vineyard (Onondaga limestone) which has demonstrated to provide an exceptional foundation for the new vines and wine.  Next, the land slopes gently towards the lake, which will provide good air drainage and allow the vines to have excellent exposure to the afternoon sun from the west.  Finally, its proximity to our estate means that we do not have to travel a significant distance to farm the land, which will make vineyard management more efficient.

Step 2: Planning and Working the Future Vineyard Land

Over the past year and a half, we made plans to develop the vineyard.  In December of 2017, Tom selected the vines and rootstocks to be planted on the new vineyard.   He then created a blueprint for the layout of the future vineyard which calls for the addition of nearly 7 new acres of vines.  The new plantings will not only allow us to make more wine, but will also provide the opportunity to further explore the impact of our terroir on the grapes and the corresponding wines they produce.

Over the last few weeks, we took the one of the first steps to convert our field of dreams to a vineyard:  putting in drainage tile.  So what exactly is drainage tile, and why do we need it in the vineyard before vines are planted?   A tile drainage system is a network of perforated pipes which we install beneath the ground to remove excess water in the soil.  If excess water is allowed to remain in a vineyard, vine root growth and function can be impaired and can harm the long-term productivity of the vineyard.  By installing tile at appropriate intervals for our vineyard, we establish the best possible environment for the vines, and ensure that the amount of water is balanced and doesn’t exceed what the vines can handle.

Tom collaborated with the tile installer to custom-design the tile system for our vineyard.  During the design process, they considered the types of vines and rootstock which will be planted, and the land’s the soil type, geology, and topography.   The tile installer used GPS technology to map the entire parcel of land so that we could understand how water moves on our site.   The resulting design specified exactly where each tile line should be placed, along with the appropriate depth and slope for each tile line.

After design completion, we moved on to the installation phase.  Because of the amount of limestone on our property, the crew decided to install each line two passes.  On the first pass, they ripped through the soil, located any large limestone boulders or formations, and moved them out of the way.  On the second pass, they installed the tile using GPS to precisely position the tile in the right location, and at the right slope.   The work progressed without too many interruptions, other than finding giant slabs of limestone embedded in the soil!

The following photos show some aspects of the tiling activities, from the first day of tiling to the end state:  a completely tiled future vineyard.  We look forward to sharing more updates as we take the next steps to prepare the land for the vines.

Day 1 of Tiling: The first tile lines run on the East side of the property overlooking Cayuga Lake

Tom stands on the Tile Tiger – GPS driven equipment designed to dig deep and presicely place tile

Chunks of limestone hide beneath the surface of the land

The future vineyard overlooking Cayuga Lake after the completion of tiling

Looking back on the existing vineyard from the newly tiled land

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With the San Diego-like temperatures this past week (clear, sunny, mid 70’s), the vines made a quick leap from bud break to a first showing of the clusters.  The forecast for this week doesn’t look like there will be much of a change, so we’re probably going to see some significant growth this week.

What are the next tasks?

We’ll begin the process of “suckering” this week to remove the shoots that have emerged from the trunk.  This allows the vine to focus on putting energy into the shoots on the fruiting wire for this seasons production.

Next, we will do some shoot thinning to remove shoots that are too close to each other.  The grape clusters need appropriate air drainage, so it is important that each shoot (bearing 2 clusters) has its own space.  It is much easier to perform this task at this point in the season when you can use your fingers. As the shoots mature and harden off, pruning shears are required for removal, and the task becomes more difficult.

We will continue to post photos and updates as the 2013 season progresses, so be sure to check back to see where we are in the vineyard and cellar.

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May 30th delivered a different surprise – bloom in the vineyard. The fragrance is remarkable and makes the vineyard work much more pleasant. And while it’s wonderful to work out there, this time for a wine grower can be pretty nerve wracking. Weather like rain, hail, wind, and cool temperatures can impact the delicate flowers and cause uneven fruit set despite the close proximity of the stamen to the ovaries (vitis-vinifera are able to self-pollinate). Multiple daily checks from the different weather services are normal protocol now.

And while all the great weather technology is available, we are still reminded that mother nature is in control.

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In fact, a number of the buds that were damaged were at lower heights on the trunks – potentially saving us some addition time with the later process of “suckering” the vines.  Also, we haven’t begun “shoot thinning” yet, so we should be able to work around many of the toasted buds in the fruit zone that probably would have come off anyway.

In speaking with other growers, it looks like the highest damage numbers might be around 30%.  With those percentages, I’m really glad we dodged a bullet this time around and I’m hopeful the warmer temperatures will persist.  Thank you Cayuga Lake.

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Uneven Development

Depending on the area of the vineyard and the clone, some shoots are already out 2″ while on other vines, the buds are just beginning to swell.  We figured that by planting seven different clones of Pinot Noir and four different clones of Riesling on our site we would avoid an “all eggs in one basket” approach and benefit from the clonal differences.  Some clones may ripen earlier than others, while some may benefit from a warmer summer, and others may push buds first.  These “clones” that I’m referring to are not GMOs, but rather mutations that been observed in the plants for centuries.  Pinot Noir is one of the most susceptible grape varieties to mutation (there are hundreds of clones of Pinot Noir) and has been linked to the white varieties of Pinot Gris (or Pinot Grigio) and Pinot Blanc.  As you can imagine, there are pros and cons to each of the clones depending on the growing season.

Cooler Temps on the Way

As we hold our breath as we look at the weather forecast and see some cooler temperatures over the next couple of nights, we’re hopeful that these low temps will be the last of our growing season.  The forecast for next week has temps in the 60’s and 70’s, which should put the vines in a much more comfortable place and point us in the right direction.

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While many people believe that the best part of being a winemaker would be tasting wines all day, I can assure you, creating the blends can be pretty nerve wracking.  Let’s start with the basics on the Rieslings from the 2011 vintage.

Reserve Riesling
The first past is to taste each tank of Riesling and take notes on aromas, flavors and finish. Then, we need to decide if there were any tanks that would provide the basis for a “reserve” bottling (we don’t do this every vintage, the last being 2009).  The 2011 vintage has three candidates that made the cut.  So each of these tanks has to go through a series of trials in different percentages to determine how those aromas and flavors impact each other

Single Vineyards

Next up, the single vineyards candidates.  We have three single vineyards that we are working with which are in seven different tanks  – two Nutt Road, two Patrician Verona, and three Hobbit Hollow.  So we start with Nutt Road and start with a series of blends of those two tanks (25/75, 50/50, 75/25).  Once we establish how each of those taste, we are better able to predict the influence of one vs. the other.  Thus, we can come up with a blend of 90 to 10 if we really liked the direction of the 75 to 25 tank blend.  Then we have to repeat this for the rest of the single vineyard wines.

Dry Riesling

The Dry Riesling was next on our list.  This blending process was a little more rigorous because we were pulling samples and blending trials from all nine of our tanks of Riesling.  With multiple passes and trying to identify a more firm, rigid structure to be a part of the 2011 Dry Riesling yet trying to preserve the balance in the glass can be a little more maddening.  Granted, we are spitting all the wine during this tasting, but you find yourself constantly challenged to find just the “right” blend.

Riesling

Last, but not least, would be our house-style Riesling.  This is usually what one would define as semi-dry to semi-sweet.  The vineyard blend each vintage is different along with the different levels of residual sugar.  Again, the nine different tanks are selected for this trial with each tank varying in their aromatics, flavors, and finish.  Numerous passes are made and tanks that seem to “fit” a little more with the traditional style of this wine are usually selected.  Multiple breaks are usually needed to refresh the palate so we are making the best decisions.  In all cases, we let the final cut sit a night or two so we can return and be assured that the blend is where we want it to be.

Next Up

Now that we have all the blending trials wrapped up, we’re looking forward to putting all the pieces together and getting these wines into the bottle over the next couple of weeks.  Be on the lookout for more bottling updates.

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All of the pruning is finished, and now Tom is positioning and tying the vines to the fruiting wire.

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