Vineyards

Steering carefully through the vineyard.

Basic Facts

Acreage: Twenty acres: roughly seven acres of Chardonnay, three acres of Merlot, nine and one half acres of Pinot Noir and half an acre of Syrah..
Trellis System: Vertical, 5' x 7' spacing, north-south row orientation.
Grapes: Fourteen different clones (five Chardonnay, twoMerlot, six Pinot noir, one Syrah). Different expressions of the same grape add complexity and interest to our wines.
Soil: Haire-Coombs clay loam.

Clonal Notes

(Comments and Observations on the Grape Material at Adastra)

When Chris planted his first lot of grapes in 1989, the decision was more what cultivars (Chardonnay, Merlot etc.) to plant. He chose Chardonnay and Merlot. When he expanded with an additional twelve acres five years later, the decision was rather what clones to plant. Chris and Edwin researched the options widely and eventually made their choices. The idea was that by planting slightly different expressions of Chardonnay, Merlot and Pinot Noir grapes, Adastra would maximize the chances of making complex, interesting wines.

The remarks found at the links below are intended as guidelines. It is too soon to reach many conclusions on clonal performance, given the relatively little time that they have been producing. It is worth remembering that the same clones perform differently in different vineyards, due to differences in climate, soil type, cultural practices, etc.