Thoughts

It may be rich coming from someone who has made wine for 50 years, but in my experience, site and grape selection are more important than any winemaking technique. When it came time to plant X Novo and X Omni vineyards, this experience became a guiding principle.

The specific geologic and climatic qualities of a place are prerequisite and without them, no philosophy of grape growing or technique of winemaking could overcome a deficit there. But presupposing one possesses such a place - and I am convinced we do in our little corner of the Eola-Amity Hills - there is still the matter of what to plant.

We planted a diverse selection of vines, over a dozen different clones for each variety (Pinot Noir and Chardonnay). This is known as a selection massale in Burgundy. It produces a blending in the vineyard, if you will, of unique characteristics, creating a wine greater than the sum of its parts. It mitigates the individual impact of one personality, while allowing the community of vines to amplify the environment in which they reside.

Our goal was simple: blend the grapes in the vineyard rather than in the cellar. If my conviction that site and grape selection are more important than winemaking techniques (see above) is deeply held, then blending in the vineyard, as opposed to the winery, is the wise choice.