ASK THE GROWER
With our Winter 2007 newsletter, we are starting a new feature called “Ask the Grower” where we interview our grower partners. We are starting off this series with long time Testarossa supporter, friend, financier, restaurateur (Howard is the co-owner of Lavanda Restaurant in Palo Alto) and all around good guy, Howard Graham. Howard owns the Graham Family Vineyard in Sonoma County’s Russian River Valley.
We hope you find it interesting!
If you have any questions you would like to ask one of our growers, please email them to wine@testarossa.com and we'll try to include them in future grower interviews!
How did you decide the location to plant/purchase your vineyard?
HG: I started looking for a property for vineyard development in 1999. I believe that the Russian River Valley grows the best Pinot Noir fruit in the United States, so I looked exclusively within that appellation. Testarossa was closely involved in the search. I think Rob, Ed, or Bill looked at every property that came on the market in 1999 and 2000, before we found the right place in early 2001. They also helped me choose the clones, rootstock and about a million other things.
How did you decide what varietal(s) and clone(s) to choose for your vineyard?
HG: There was never any doubt that I would plant Pinot Noir. Although, I like a good Chardonnay or Syrah and I can occasionally be convinced to drink another varietal, Pinot Noir is my passion. The property has a plantable area of about nine acres, and we went with a little over two and a half acres each of Swan, 667, and 777 and finished with an acre or so of 828.
Do you practice organic, biodynamic, or sustainable farming practices? If so, why or why not?
HG: We use a lot of sustainable farming practices, that’s just common sense in a very high-end vineyard. Although, I respect the growers, particularly in France, who practice organic and biodynamic farming, I think their rules can be a little too rigid for my taste.
What do you feel are the two biggest factors that affect the ultimate quality of your grapes (e.g. soil type/structure, climate, slope, plant material, viticultural practices, etc)?
HG: I don’t think you can pick only two variables to view as the biggest factors in the grape quality. When you’re working toward the greatest fruit the site is capable of, everything is important. Just as with a championship sports team, every little detail counts, not just one or two elements.
How long have you and/or your family been in the wine/grape growing business?
HG: In one sense, I have been in the grape growing business for six years, since the purchase of what was to become the Graham Family Vineyard in early 2001. In another sense, I have never been in the grape growing “business”. I was fortunate enough to be able to retire early and indulge my love of fine food and wine. I don’t view it as a business at all, rather an opportunity to work with some of the most talented winemakers in the world to make great Pinot Noir. My part is to create the raw material, they then fashion it into incredible wines.
From a growers perspective, what have been the easiest and hardest vintages the last 10 years and why?
HG: Wow, easy question. 2005 was incredibly difficult. Getting six inches of rain in May, right in the middle of flowering and set, was devastating. I got a yield of under a half ton per acre. The quality was incredible, but that’s not much fruit! 2006 on the other hand was as different as you can get: good weather, lots of fruit, and very good quality as the vines continue to mature.
What would you like to tell wine lovers/consumers that they probably don’t know about vineyards?
HG: Developing a vineyard has been an eye-opening experience for me. Starting off I had very little idea of the incredible number of variables involved in the final product. When you as a consumer open a vineyard designated wine, you are experiencing the end result of the grower’s choices in so many different ways that it’s difficult to list them all. A few examples of choices are: site selection, microclimate, row orientation, soil structure, clones, rootstock, farming methods, however, there are so many more. Of course then, Mother Nature has to cooperate. All of these have to align to produce fruit which is capable of being made into great wine. When the French lump most of this together as “terroir”, they’re right. I guess they learned something over the past 800 years or so.
Try some 2005 Graham Family Vineyard Pinot Noir today!
