VINEYARDS GRAHAM FAMILY VINEYARD Ask the Grower: An Interview with Howard Graham
Appellation: Russian River Valley (Sonoma County)
Owner: Howard Graham
Acreage (for Testarossa):
- Pinot Noir, 4 acres, planted in 2001
Clones: Dijion 777, Swam
Soil Composition: Sandy loam
Elevation: 150ft
Exposure: South-facing
Climate: Marine influenced, cool, foggy mornings and evenings, sunny, breezy afternoons, highs from the low 70s to upper 80s, lows in the 50s.
First Testarossa vintage:
2004—Pinot Noir Howard and Linda Graham have been strong supporters of Testarossa since 1994. After Howard retired from high tech in 2000, he worked the entire harvest with us. A Russian River Valley Pinot Noir vineyard was his next dream. After a year of searching we found a ten-acre knoll-top site with even exposure and Gold Ridge soils. Five Pinot Noir clones were selected, and the vineyard was planted in 2002.
