JUST harvest by Paul Kaselionis
EXCITEMENT IS IN THE AIR as some of the JUSTIN vineyard acreage is being reborn. Since the spring, we have removed 15 acres of vines at our estate and an additional eight acres at our new property, DeBro Vineyard, located just behind the estate. These blocks were removed for various reasons, but the real excitement lies in the replanting. In the years since Justin planted our first vines in 1982, our viticultural knowledge has progressed with new clones, rootstocks, trellis systems and row orientations. As a result, we are incorporating new rootstocks that can better adapt to our rich lime soils. We are also grafting these rootstocks with newly released clones of Cabernet Sauvignon that show outstanding varietal characteristics and a darker, richer color. Additionally, we are planting more acres of Cabernet Franc, Merlot, Petit Verdot, Malbec and Syrah. These developments, plus our newest ranch, Adelaide Hills, will increase our estate program to a total of 300 acres of optimally planted vines. Another focus in replanting is to increase our vine density per acre. With some of the old spacing, yields were meager. By increasing the number of vines per acre, we can still produce the highest quality fruit while increasing per-acre production—all without any sacrifice to our quality standards. We are also moving away from the old California sprawl trellising system that we’ve used for nearly 30 years. By switching to what’s known as “vertical shoot positioning,” we will gain more control of our canopy management. In 2005, we replanted 30 acres with the new rows running 60 degrees off true north. This has allowed us to open up the fruit zones, increasing light and air movement. The result is better skin pigmentation and tannin development in the grapes without heightening the risk of sunburn to the grapes. We’ll continue this row orientation where we can, but in some areas, because of the slope, we’re adding multiple cross arms to increase the protection from sunburn while still enabling us to open the fruiting zones. The next time you stop by JUSTIN Vineyards and Winery, look out into the vines. You’ll be happy to see the many changes that are happening, knowing that they will be producing even better wines in the future.
fall / winter 2011 13