A
vineyard typically delivers quality or quantity, but not usually both. Canard
sacrifices big yields for smaller grapes and greater concentration of flavor. “If
you irrigate, the roots stay at the surface, but if you deprive the vines of
water, they will dig down deep, picking up greater complexities along the way,”
says Adam Fox, managing director. “We believe our wines are more terrior driven
- you can taste they are from Calistoga.” Rich and voluptuous with vibrant
black cherry, raspberry, black and huckleberry, with shrewd notes of cinnamon,
vanilla, nutmeg and black pepper spice - a perfect balance of oak, fruit and a
mild but proper acidity. This is a seamless wine that reflects exactly how dry
farming can change the complexity of a wine. ($125, canardvineyard.com)
Made
of odd-ball grapes like Sémillon, Muscadelle and Palomino, this Sonoma white
wine is picked later in the year to give the vines more ripening time. Many of
the vineyards that winemaker Mike Officer pulls from are old vine vineyards
dating from the late 1800s up to the 1950s, which tend to be dry farmed anyhow.
The Derivative, with notes of sweet resin, perfumed aromas of lemon, quince,
beeswax, and lanolin is a thick, structured white wine, able to match a variety
of foods dues to its subtle qualities and mild acidity. ($34, Carlisewinery.com)
From
the Fair Play AVA in the Sierra Foothills, Jonathan Lachs left Napa to be unfettered
in California Gold country where he farms organically. “Dry farmed vines are
typically mature, so their roots are deep and their grapes express their
terrior,” he says. “Dry farmed vines are more self regulating which keeps yields
down, and dry farmed vines don't require supplemental irrigation, which moves
them up the hierarchy of sustainability,” he says. All this results in a
powerful elegant wine ripe with huckleberry, black raspberry and blueberry,
notes of cedar, leather and an earthy juiciness. ($29,
cedavillevineyard.com)
From
Sonoma’s Russian River Valley comes this classic Pinot Noir. Owner Brice
started thinking about dry farming when friend and mentor Aubert de
Villaine (owner of Domaine de la Romanée Conti in Burgundy) convinced him that
irrigation alters the signature of a wine while unnecessarily wasting precious
resources. According to Jones the deep roots that result from dry-farming
are “the only honest reflection of a vineyard’s terrior.” This Pinot offers bright
acidity with mellow red raspberry, pepper spice, a back note of cola and
rhubarb, offering more subtle expressions than typical of Pinot Noir. ($42,
emeritusvineyard.com)
Often
people dry farm because they don't have enough ground water. Such is the case
at Rancho Tinaquaic in Santa Barbara. Foxen Winery’s original ten acres were planted
in 1989 and were watered minimally to get them started the first year, but
since then they have relied on Mother Nature alone. Similar with the Loire -
the birthplace of Cabernet Franc - this is 100% Cabernet Franc is juicy with earthy
overtones of blackberry, black cherry, vanilla, cedar, rhubarb, and a strong
acidity running through the middle. Aged for 22 months in French oak barrels
mellows the tannins making for a pure expression of the grape. ($48,
foxenvineyard.com)
Kathleen
Inman not only dry farms, she uses recycled water to push her compost teas
through her drip system at bud break, bloom and set. In her cellar she
uses steam instead of hot water, using fewer gallons to clean oak barrels, and using
only on-demand hot water. She has the lowest water use commercial toilets and
low volume taps at the sinks. “I have dry farmed because I wanted my plants to
be more robust and able to cope with short periods of drought,” she says. Her
rose presents lithe flavors of delicate strawberry, watermelon, sweet
grapefruit, a mild minerality and acidity making this an ideal aperitif wine.
($25, inmanfamilywines.com)
Planted
in 1971 this dry farmed vineyard, located in Paso Robles’ Westside, is planted
to Chenin Blanc, and true to Chenin, which is native to Sancerre in France’s
Loire Valley, this is typical mineral and stone flavors, a light grapefruit and
back note of lemon-lime, a moderate acidity and no oak treatment in the least,
which is why Chenin Blanc is so refreshing. The fruit here, though soft at first
begins to grow and make its presence known over time. ($28, lonemadrone.com)
It
ain’t just California who dry farms; Washington and Oregon too practice this,
though it’s easier for them since they typically get more rain. Planted in 1972
on Washington’s Underwood Mountain in the Columbia Gorge AVA, rainfall
percolates into Maryhill vineyard's grainy “buckshot” sized volcanic loam. The
soils from the extinct volcanic cone of Underwood Mountain can be as deep as 45
feet and retain moisture well so the vines take what they need. There’s sweet
peach on the nose and less floral notes typical of Gewürztraminer, but it’s
bursting with resin, green tea, quince and mango on the palette along with a
minimal sweetness making this an amazing value. ($14, maryhillwinery.com)
Forget
the fact that these are really old vines from Lodi, this five-acre parcel is sandwiched
between another winery and a Styrofoam factory meaning dry farming can happen
anywhere. The result is an earthy, jam-filled Zinfandel with a pronounced black
cherry, raspberry and cedar-vanilla. There is a ton of noticeable but soft
pepper spice, cinnamon and a line of acidity, all the better to go with food.
This wine makes you appreciate how rich a wine can be. ($24, macchiawines.com)
From
the Dundee Hills region of Oregon the owners were aware of the impact that
farming and wine production would have on the environment so they started a
'good to the earth' policy through certified-organic dry farming, sustainable
business practices and low impact packaging. In 2002 Sokol Blosser became the
first U.S. winery to receive LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental
Design) Certification. This 2012 Pinot Noir is rich and robust, with boatloads
of raspberry, blackberry, red cherry and rhubarb. This is a smooth number with
back notes of cedar and vanilla and a mild acidity. ($70, sokolblossor.com)
This
wine is made from head-pruned and dry farmed vines ranging in age from 55 to
more than 100 years, therefore there is mature ripe blackberry and black cherry
throughout. Rounding out the structure are aromas of boysenberry, tobacco leaf
and charcoal note, with hints of plum
and charred wood, framed by a buoyant acidity. Old vine Zinfandel leans towards
this kind of darker maturity and this wine expresses this quite clearly. ($59, stfranciswinery.com)
After
the deLeuze family purchased this Carneros vineyard, they set about converting
it to organic status. These dry farmed Chardonnay vines, planted in the early
1980s end up creating a stunningly smooth and creamy wine; it’s all
butterscotch, mango, a wisp of lemon-lime, vanilla and sweet toasted almonds
with a thick viscosity and a beautiful acidity showing just how powerful dry
farmed fruit can be. ($70, zdwines.com)
It’s
not just the U.S. who dry farms, and this wine from Chile shows how dry farming
increases the quality of a wine with more ripe fruit, but also more weight and
maturity in the mouth. The vineyard has decreased their overall water use up to
65% by dry farming and reclaiming their water. Typical of Carménère there is
rich black cherry, huckleberry, and ripe blueberry compote flavors with
supporting floral and lavender notes along with sandalwood, and sweet resin.
($25, monteswines.com)
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