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When Mike DeSimone and Jeff Jenssen, AKA the World Wine Guys, reached out to discuss dry farming – a cornerstone of Frog’s Leap’s vineyard management practice – for an upcoming article they were penning for Robb Report, our own Rory Williams, Director of Viticulture and Winemaking obliged. Why Modern Winemakers Are Embracing an Ancient Farming Practice was published in early May and features an excerpt of their exchange which we encourage you to check out for a variety of perspectives on dry farming. Read on for the complete Q&A…
Where are your dry-farmed vineyards located, and to which varieties are they planted?
RW: In total, we dry-farm approximately 180 acres in the Rutherford and St. Helena sub-AVAs of Napa Valley. We have 3 vineyards where we farm our Estate Cabernet Sauvignon: Williams-Rossi, Chavez-Leeds and Red Barn. At these ranches, in addition to Cabernet Sauvignon, we also dry-farm significant acreage of Sauvignon Blanc, Merlot and Cabernet Franc, as well as smaller amounts of Petite Sirah, Charbono, Valdiguie, Riesling, Mourvedre, Carignane, and Grenache Noir. In addition to these 3 ranches, we also farm 4 others where we have significant plantings of Sauvignon Blanc, Chenin Blanc, Zinfandel and Petite Sirah.
What is the approximate age of the vines?
RW: For our Cabernet Sauvignon, the average age of the vines is 21 years, with some vines as old as 35 years old. Across all varieties and vineyards, the average is closer to 30 years, with one small planting of Valdiguie going all the way back to 1947.
Which Frog’s Leap wines are made from dry-farmed grapes?
RW: We make several that are from exclusively dry-farmed grapes, most prominently our Estate Grown Cabernet Sauvignon, Sauvignon Blanc, Merlot, and Zinfandel.
Why do you choose to forgo irrigation in your vineyards?
RW: A deep topic with many answers, all of which circle around wine quality. In the end, dry farming allows us to achieve fully flavored wines with alcohol levels that are naturally lower than many irrigated counterparts, with higher levels of natural acidity. This goes hand-in-hand with a more classical or “old-school” approach to winemaking, especially with regard to Cabernet Sauvignon, which focuses less upon ultra-ripe fruit flavors and heavy extraction, and more upon elegance, freshness, and balanced structure. Dry farming is an indispensable tool in our approach to wine quality.
What is the benefit to the VINES of not using irrigation in your vineyard?
RW: While the roots of an irrigated vine exist primarily within the first 1-2 feet of soil (usually, the depth to which water from drip irrigation lines penetrates), a dry-farmed vine can (and must) send its roots deep into the soil—sometimes more than 30 feet deep—in order to survive. This makes the vine more resilient to the ups and downs of rainfall and drought that are typical of a Mediterranean climate like Napa. Also, since the vine has to work to mine its own water and nutrient resources from the soil, it is encouraged to only take what it needs for balanced growth—as opposed to being spoon-fed extra water or nutrients through an irrigation system, promoting unbalanced growth.
What is the benefit to the WINE of not using irrigation in your vineyard?
RW: Wine follows the course set by the vineyard. Unbalanced vines fed a homogenized diet of water and fertilizer through a drip system lead to wines that are unbalanced and homogeneous. Vines cut off from this diet are forced to balance their growth with variable soil and climatic conditions—and we feel that balanced, heterogenous wines are the path to a wine that is both more delicious and more reflective of terroir.
What else do you think we should know about dry farming?
RW: I like to emphasize that the exercise of dry farming isn’t simply about turning off the water in a vineyard—if you do that in the average vineyard in Napa, the vines will die. Dry farming is about everything we’re doing to make sure that the vines don’t need any additional water. To make this happen, you have to cultivate a healthy, balanced soil that supports the vine throughout our long dry season. Seemingly banal decisions about cover crops, compost, rootstock, spacing, etc. all play a critical role in making this happen—dry farming is very much an active verb.