Robert Sinskey Vineyards

Debby Does Dirt
Franc talk about soil by debby “zygie” zygielbaum

I’ve always been dirty; in fact, I love dirt. I fell in love at a young age, digging through rich humus, looking for worms. It didn’t go over so well when I brought home earth smudged cups full of wriggling life. I think my parents, being suburban-dwelling city folk, wondered if I’d been switched at birth - I think they may still be wondering.

No wonder I grew up to be a farmer; good farming is all about the soil. Good dirt, beyond making great “mud pies,” is quite literally the life of the place. It’s the soil, in play with rootstock and scion, that gives wine its character. Beyond that, soil that is alive gives a vine the resources it needs to consistently produce interesting, flavorful, high quality grapes season to season.

Healthy soil is active - alive with millions of tiny flora and fauna. Their living and dying activities are what break down minerals and make them available to the vines. Some organisms, like mycorrhizal fungi, have evolved specific symbiotic relationships. These fungi colonize roots, receiving some carbohydrates from photosynthesis and, in return, helping the plant absorb water and nutrients.

But this is all in a healthy soil. A soil sterilized by conventional farming practices is inert; the vine left to search alone, without symbiotic partners, for the nutrients it needs to grow. Without the support mechanism of an active soil, we are forced to provide the vine with everything it needs. But synthetic fertilizers are poor substitutes for the rich buffet of a living soil.

So, I farm soil. And not just any soil, but a particular species of dirt found in the southern part of Napa known as the Carneros. These soils, mostly just bay bottom mud, are young and lean and unforgiving. Cultivating with heavy machinery at the wrong time, when the soil is too wet or with the wrong implement, can destroy ten years’ work in a single pass, squeezing out oxygen pockets and killing soil organisms. In the winter, the roots of cover crops create channels to allow water and air into the soil. Sheep graze and spread nutrients, feeding the hungry hordes of soil fauna below. Springtime means alternate row spading or simply mowing the cover crop on hilly sites. We are growing soil, making deposits in the resource bank account (as winemaker Jeff Virnig is known to say), rather than annually withdrawing until it collapses under a negative balance.

This healthy soil allows for difference, contributes to character, due to slight variations in the composition of the soil bank account. Thus, not only is each vineyard site different, but each individual vineyard block is unique. Clone and rootstock mine the rich soil, creating a particular harmony in conjunction with the steepness of the slope and how the land turns its face to the sun, translating into subtle differences in the finished wine. One parcel might show more red fruit and tannin, while another more tea and earth. Vineyard blocks ten feet apart can be amazingly distinct, providing a melody of uniqueness to aid in the composition of an elegant wine.

The Vandal Vineyard sits like a jewel on a hill, a swell on the rise toward the glittering cloak of Mount Veeder. It’s a breathtaking vista, but the real action is below ground as a cacophonic jumble of Carneros clay meets the red volcanic earth of the Mayacamas. It’s a crazy world down there, but it makes for some really interesting Cabernet Franc. Two clones are planted in four different vineyard blocks - two on the Carneros clay gumbo and two on the mountainous red volcanic ash. The clay blocks are lean and fruity while the volcanic blocks are rich and red. Blended, these make for a well-rounded, single vineyard wine. It all comes back to the dirt, vibrant, living dirt - healthy soil for healthy vines to make yummy and delicious wines, from the ground up!

Pop Simple

Popovers used to strike fear in my heart. I was fine if I had to make a batch of 12, but any more would drive me over the top. The pan was never hot enough or had cooled down too much before I added all the batter to the cups. In short, my life became a nightmare when I wanted to serve them for a party. However, invention is the mother of necessity. After observing how nicely the gougeres in the tasting room puffed, I decided to use the same recipe, but bake them in a popover pan. Voila, puffed perfection - a simple solution to a dastardly problem. These puffs are terrific with red wine and deliciously suited to the Cabernet Franc. They bring out the delicious plum and cherry fruit while meeting the fine ripe tannins head-on. Bake some popovers to start or finish your evening repast and enjoy them alongside the Cabernet Franc, which, by the way, is excellent with rosemary and garlic-rubbed pork ribs…but that's another story.

Until the next wine...
Maria

EAT: RSV Aged Cheddar Cheese Popovers

The 2008 vintage was a season of adversity. I still have worry lines caused by a litany of farming nightmares: the worst frost season for thirty years, May rain during bloom severely reducing the crop, no blue sky for the month of June as distant fires created a smoke-induced marine layer like shade over the sun, and, finally, a heat wave during harvest. The season just wouldn’t quit. But the beauty of being organic and Biodynamic, however, is that our vineyards have the resources, the deep pockets, to weather the vagaries of each season - even the really challenging ones. Our vineyards are even keel - we don’t necessarily get the bumper crops during the big years but we also don’t have as much loss in the low years. Like thrifty savers, our vineyards have the resources to support themselves when times are lean - and are wise enough not to spend too much when times are easy.