Date: February 19, 2010 @ 8:33 AM
Pruning Away
February is one of my favorite times in Napa Valley. There isn't as much traffic. (Locals are supposed to complain about the traffic, but chances are, we would hate it if the traffic wasn't there to support wineries, restaurants and more.)
The mustard is in bloom and it is spectacular. Last weekend there were cars trying to find parking spaces at Rock Cairn Vineyard so that they could get out and take pictures in the mustard. (Rock Cairn is across from Brix restaurant and is one of the original vineyards in Nickel & Nickel’s portfolio of single-vineyard wines. Maybe Andy Hoxey, who owns Rock Cairn, should be charging for parking!)
We are busy pruning. It isn't that long until the vines start waking up and pushing their buds. I happen to love pruning and would be laughed out of town if I said that it is a bit theraputic...but it is.
If you are going to do a good job pruning, you better be paying attention to what you are doing and not thinking about any of life's distractions. (It is best to keep your fingers out of the way too!) The other thing about pruning is that you can't get too worried if you make a mistake and whack off the wrong cane because there is no way to undo it. Get on with figuring out what cut to make next. (I am sure that there is some deep psychological lesson buried in there...but I don't have a clue what it may be!)
Many of our vineyards are trained to a “cordon” system which means that the trunk comes up and is bent over into a single, horizontal arm, or it is split into two horizontal arms that extend from the trunk. Either way, the arms have "spurs" every six to 10 inches. Each spur has two buds. Each bud should grow one shoot, which holds two clusters. Do you feel a word problem coming on about now? (I thought most word problems had a train leaving Chicago heading east at 25 mph.) Actually, we do think about the number of buds and clusters per acre, but we won't do the math right now.
It's a very clean look. We remove over 90 percent of the wood that grew during last season and have the vines poised for the best start to the New Year.
The other common system is when we leave a six-to-eight-bud cane or two on each vine. Accordingly, it is called…you guessed it… “Cane Pruned.” It takes a little more thought and skill, which is why Aaron confiscates my pruning shears when he sees me approaching some innocent vine in Dragonfly. Ultimately, we end up with about the same number of buds per acre with either system, and the resulting shoots should be strong and balanced.
I am a fan of the old “head-trained vines" that are mostly found in long-established Zinfandel vineyards. Each vine has been trained to four or five gnarly arms that slowly extend out to spurs. The effect is very pretty and makes a sort of wood bowl out of the top or "head" of the vine. For most varieties, the newer training systems with wires and stakes grow better vines and grapes but the old way is wonderful and can be outstanding if handled properly.
Take a closer look at the structure of the vines during this time of year. They tell a story and are far harder to see once the growing season is under way.
Comments:
- Patrick – Thanks for reminding me that this weekend is Open That Bottle Night. Of course, now I have to choose from among those bottles that I have been hanging onto. Young? Old? New World? Old World? Home Team? (I know it will be Red!) decisions…decisions…
Comment by Dirk Hampson - February 24, 2010 @ 9:58 am
- I agree with the sentiment of Feb. we just visited Nickel and Nickel last week. We drove by Brix admiring the colorful field of mustard, admittedly completely unaware that it was Rock Cairn (which we had just tasted). Feb also welcomes Open that Bottle Night which you addressed last year. However, this year it will be celebrated as its inventors have now left their post at the WSJ. This weekends bottle will be in honor of them.
Comment by Patrick Benton - February 23, 2010 @ 6:27 pm
