Set
at 1650 feet above sea level, at the base of the foothills just west
of Medford, Oregon, Ellis Vineyards is an almost ideal vineyard site. The
vineyard is situated in the middle of an alluvial fan of soil consisting
of rocky sandy loam thus providing excellent drainage for the grapes. On a walk
through the vineyard, pebblestones can be readily found which led to the name
for our wine produced from the property.
Ellis Vineyards is a 26-acre site of which 15-1/2 acres are currently planted
with expansion capability to add about 6 more acres of vines. The vineyard
was originally planted in 1997 and additional varieties were added in 2000 and
2003. The vineyard site is located on the same parallel as regions of Spain and
Southern France. As such, we are finding that the grape varieties grown
in the Rhone region of France and the Rioja region of Spain are well suited to
the site. There are currently seven varieties in full production in the vineyard: Pinot Gris, Syrah, Tempranillo, Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc and Viognier. Two to three additional varieties will be planted over the next few years.
Rainfall
at the vineyard is approximately 20 inches per year and the temperature ranges
from lows in the 20° F range in the winter to highs of 100° F to 105° F
in the hottest parts of the summer. During the growing season, we will
typically have temperatures of 95° F in the day dropping down to cool nighttime
temperatures of 55° F. This temperature cycling enhances the sugar-acid
balance and the flavors of the grapes. Because of the elevation and the
more northerly latitude, we will usually have snow in the vineyard once or twice
during the winter season as shown in the winter season picture (right). The
vine rows have a north-south row orientation thus providing more even sunlight
on both sides of the vine rows.
Our
objective in the vineyard is to grow only the finest quality grapes for Pebblestone
wines. Currently, all varieties are grown on vertical
shoot positioning (VSP) trellising to provide optimal sun exposure on the grapes. VSP
trellising also helps to prevent disease on the vines, promote even ripening
of the grapes and dramatically improve flavors and tannins.
Beginning in late February with pruning, we must pass through the vineyard
over 22 times during the growing season before the grapes are ready to harvest
(by hand). In addition to training the vines up through three sets of catch
wires in the VSP trellis, we hedge the vines, leaf strip, and thin the crop to
reach target yields per acre. The completed VSP “canopy” is shown
in the summer view of the vineyard (below right).
Harvest
begins in mid to late September on the Tempranillo and Pinot Gris varieties
and continues until the end of October for the Cabernet and Cabernet Franc varieties.
The harvest picture of the vineyard (below) shows harvested Cabernet Sauvignon
grapes at the end of October when the canopy of grape leaves have given all they
can and are browning and falling off the vine.
Once harvested, our fruit is transported to the winery for crushing and the
start of the winemaking process. We hope that you will enjoy the resulting
wines that are created from the “fruits of our labors.”
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