Dear Friends,
Happy Spring. We are enjoying great weather at Nicholson Ranch with bright sunny days and cool nights. Warm sunshine is waking up the vines from their winter hibernation. The buds on the vines swell up and open gradually to reveal a small branch with tiny leaves. “Bud-break” as it is called, is the start of another vintage.
2022 is a significant year in the history of Nicholson Ranch. I am replanting all our Chardonnay and Merlot vines and about half of the Pinot Noir. I planted the original vines in 1995 on land that had been a cattle ranch for several decades. Vineyards usually have a life-span of 30 years. The last few years with fires, smoke and drought have accelerated the aging of the plants.
The good news is that I get to plant new little baby vines, this time with more knowledge and less trepidation than in 1995. Pinot Noir and Chardonnay have excelled at Nicholson Ranch, so naturally I am planting these varietals, albeit with a different mix of clones. Clones, as many of you know, are slight variations in the variety that manifest as a different nose or a different texture in the resulting wine. Think of the difference between the Dry Farmed Pinot and the 777 Pinot. Each of these are crafted from a different clone of Pinot Noir. The Dry Farmed shows more aroma while the 777 has more texture on the palate. For the replant, I have selected clones that have produced our Reserve level of wines. As these new vines age, I expect to craft even better wines through this decade.
Second, I am increasing the number of vines of Merlot and Syrah. At present we have two acres and one acre of these vines. This will increase to three acres for each variety. Both Merlot and Syrah are more hardy grapes than Pinot Noir. They tolerate heat and unseasonal rain without compromising quality. Both Nicholson Ranch Merlot and Syrah wines are new world in flavor and old world in style, showing great texture and finish while showcasing signature California fruit flavors.
Work on the replanting has begun, with new vines planted in a nursery where they will be nurtured for a year before planting at Nicholson Ranch. The new vines are a combination of a rootstock and a graft. The rootstock is plant material from native American vines that are best suited for our soil. These will first be planted in little pots to establish roots. Next year, the varietal graft (Chardonnay or Pinot Noir) will be inserted into the stem of the rootstock to create the new vine. The graft is the same genetic material as each of the clones that we have at Nicholson Ranch. The new vines will go into the ground in the Spring of 2023 to continue the lineage of Nicholson Ranch wines.
I appreciate your continued patronage and I look forward to seeing you in the coming months.
Sincerely,
Deepak Gulrajani