If you were to take a glass of wine and trace back all the actions and decisions that went into its production, you would find clear evidence of the law of diminishing returns when considering time. There is no arguing that the biggest influencers of quality happen at the earliest possible stages of a wine’s life. From vintage to vintage, the very first step is pruning the vines. Then come all the various farming decisions you make such as watering, nutrients, dropping fruit, pulling leaves and finally the decision of when to pick.
All of these will, at the end of the day, have a much larger impact on the quality of the wine than does anything we winemakers do in the cellar. I often explain that the primary job of a winemaker is not to screw things up. The best a wine will ever be is the day you pick it, as everything that shows up in the glass is locked into the fruit at that point. Our job is to try and transfer as much of that quality out of the fruit and into the wine. All the saignée’s, extended macerations and expensive French barrels won’t turn mediocre grapes into outstanding wine. If your intention is to make great wine, you must start with great fruit.
Following this logic, the single most important decision a winery can make is where and what to plant in the vineyard. Due to the considerable cost, both of time and economics, this is a decision you only get to make once and the pressure to get things exactly right is definitely a presence. Here at Calcareous, we are in the process this winter and spring of planting new blocks of both Cabernet Sauvignon and Petit Verdot on our Estate. Although this is the final moment of truth, we have been in the planning and exploration stages for a couple years, and only now am I feeling at all confident enough to move forward. I feel strongly that this whole process has also been a great example of what makes Paso Robles special and truly speaks to the reason we have established the Paso Robles CAB Collective. Although this is my first time making all the decisions that go into vineyard development, I have not done it alone. Fellow members of the Collective have taken the time to give invaluable advice. So please check back every week or so and I’ll have a new story talking about all the decisions that were weighed and how we arrived at the final choice.
Cheers,
Jason Joyce
