That sounds awfully like what Vincent said. >
![[wink.gif]](/uploads/db3686/original/2X/0/04707e6a7bbb03e0153e349d8a9270d30e1e9525.gif "wink"){kind=small}
Need to pay more attention! ![[wow.gif]](/uploads/db3686/original/2X/7/7d450e9830889c8943b674446a21b7254cad657e.gif "wow"){kind=small}
Although this article (part 2 of a history on Zin in America) doesn’t focus on own-rooted vines, there is some good information about the apparent morphological effects of the St George rootstock on Zin vines.
Lodi Wine Commission Blog
“The Mystery of Zinfandel, Part 2 – The Long Strange Trip from… Somewhere”
by Randy Caparoso
October 29, 2013
Our Casa Blanca Vineyard, planted in 1972, was own rooted. Much of the Vineyard was grafted 25 years ago, yet remains on vinifera root stock. Some of the original blocks, such as the 5 acres of Riesling, remain.
Thanks to the Lodi Winegrape Commission, Randy Caparoso, as well as Marty Winters and Alex Pitts of Maître de Chai for providing another example of an own-rooted vineyard…
Lodi Winegrape Commission Blog
“Maître de Chai finds ‘new California’ wine in Lodi’s Clements Hills”
by Randy Caparoso
November 8, 2018
"…‘Stampede Vineyard’: a block of old vine Zinfandel owned and farmed by Jeff and John Perlegos in the Clements Hills AVA of Lodi ; located on the north-westerly side of California Hwy. 88, right next to the Clements Stampede Rodeo grounds.
"Adds Winters: 'We first met Jeff Perlegos right here in the vineyard in 2014, through Chris Cottrell and Morgan Twain-Peterson (of Bedrock Wine Co.), and we were floored by what we saw. These are own-rooted vines – a classic, historic California planting. As far as we know, the front section of the vineyard (nearest Hwy. 88) was planted in 1928. There was an adjoining block planted in 1934, and the back-side closest to the (Mokelumne) river was planted around 1942. For our own fruit, we concentrate on vines from the oldest part of the vineyard.
“‘Alex and I are big on the own-rooted identity of Zinfandel, which “Stampede Vineyard” personifies. It produces a Zinfandel with its own unique flavor and style – higher in tannin and acid than what most people expect out of the varietal. It’s thanks to the Perlegos brothers that this vineyard, long overlooked, can now be appreciated by many more people.’”
Maître de Chai website:
I’d love to try some of the Stampede zin!
Why have the ungrafted vines in the Stampede Vineyard survived, free of phylloxera? Sandy soils? Isolation from other vineyards?
Yes, very sandy soil…70% sand with equal parts clay & silt. That’d make life pretty hard for phylloxera.
I guess we could say, “Go pound sand, you little buggers.”
*** BUMP ***
Here are a few articles on wines from own-rooted vineyards, old and young, historical associations with Phylloxera, and possible explanations/rationalizations for their appeal to wine aficionados:
Wine & Spirits magazine
“Post Pasteur”
by Peter Liem
April 17, 2010
Stanford Wine Society
“On Roots, and Time Travel”
by Jessica Audrey Lee
March 21, 2014
Ideal Wine
“Franc de Pied Vines: History and Impact on the Taste”
November 8, 2016
HTC Experiments
“Franc de Pied and Historical Reconstruction”
by Frank Gissen
December 20, 2020
According to Albert J. Winkler, post-Phylloxera growers/producers planted vines on their own roots for economic reasons, not for quality:
UC Berkeley, Bancroft Library: Oral History Center
[u]Albert J. Winkler: Viticultural Research at UC Davis, (1921-1971)[/u]
Interview by Joanne Leach Larkey & Ruth Teiser
Published in 1973
p. 48
"…[Winkler:] ‘Mr. [Louis A.] Benoist [of Almaden] was bound and determined to grow grapes of good quality, and he was still, I think, in the back of his head, convinced that grapes on their own root made better wine than grapes on phylloxera-resistant stock.’
"Teiser: ‘Do you think so?’
"Winkler: ‘No.’
"Teiser: ‘What’s the advantage then?’
"Winkler: 'The advantage on their own roots? Getting them into production a year or two earlier. And they’ll probably get a little more crop during the first fifteen or so years. And then as they go out, if they do, the loss won’t amount to anything, because they’ll have reaped the benefit.’
"Teiser: ‘So it’s a calculated risk?’
“Winkler: 'Yes. And if phylloxera hits them, it won’t take everything at once. It’ll go block-by-block, and they can replant as it goes along. So they’ll have that replanting job to do, but they’ve paid that off in the better yields up to that time’…”.
Archive.org link (p.138):
Viticultural research at University of California, Davis, 1921-1971 : oral history transcript / 1970-1972 : Winkler, Albert J., 1894- : Free Download, Borrow, and Streaming : Internet Archive
I’m late to the party, but I can’t resist this thread.
I think the texture of the soil is the determining factor, so places like Etna, which is all degraded lava, and the Campi Flegrei, which is pure volcanic sand, don’t have any problem. Etna is now a mixture of grafted and ungrafted; the Campi Flegrei is I am told entirely ungrafted. There are a lot of ungrafted vineyards in the volcanic appellations in the south of Italy, as Otto suggests.
The wines from the Campi Flegrei are picked in late September in a hot climate but usually come in at 12.5% ABV or so, which lends some support to the idea that own-rooted vines ripen at lower sugars.
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Yes, exactly. The issue with a lot of soils is that they expand when wet, then contract as they dry. This pulls the soil slightly away from the plant and allows the louse access to the roots. Fine sand doesn’t expand and contract according to hydration level.
-Al
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I am working with a block of Cinsault planted at the Zaca Mesa Vineyard that was planted in 1974 - own-rooted Cabernet. It was the grafted to Cinsault in the mid-90s.
I am also working with a block of Gewurztraminer that was originally planted in 1978 to own-rooted Chardonnay and grafted over about 20 years ago.
Good stuff . . .
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I am excited to hear about your new endeavors, Larry! I have enjoyed your Facebook cellar videos, as well (even if Pinot Noir isn’t my forte).
It appears that more small patches of own-rooted vines are attracting attention, from Santa Barbara County and beyond.
Rootstock Trivia:
116-years-ago, in an excerpt from his “Q&A” newspaper column, UC Berkeley Professor Frederic Bioletti stated that grapevines grafted onto Riparia rootstock “bear larger crops of larger bunches and berries, which ripen from one to two weeks earlier than the same varieties grafted upon Rupestris [St George], or growing on their own roots ungrafted.”
Professor Bioletti maintained that “the stock has a very distinct influence on the nutrition of the scion. That the stock can influence the scion in what may be called varietal or specific characteristics is very much in doubt.”
California Digital Newspaper Collection
Pacific Rural Press, Vol 70, # 15
"The Vineyard: The Question of Stock and Product"
by Professor Frederic Bioletti
October 7, 1905
"…There is no doubt that the stock influences the scion very appreciably in such characteristics as amount of crop, size of bunches and berries, time of ripening, vigor of growth, and all those characteristics which are influenced by soil and climate. In other words, the stock has a very distinct influence on the nutrition of the scion. That the stock can influence the scion in what may be called varietal or specific characteristics is very much in doubt. Most investigators deny that it is possible for the stock to communicate any of its specific characteristics, such as shape of leaves, or flavor of fruits.
"The characters, however, which can be influenced by merely changing the nutrition and environment of the plant are so great that it is sometimes very difficult even for the practiced viticulturist to recognize on first sight a variety growing in a locality where the conditions are very dissimilar to those of his own locality. The same is true to a smaller extent regarding varieties grafted on different stocks.
“Practically, the influence of the stock on the scion is of great importance, for the qualities influenced are some of the most important from a practical point of view; for example, it is found that in nearly all conditions vines grafted upon Riparia bear larger crops of larger bunches and berries, which ripen from one to two weeks earlier than the same varieties grafted upon Rupestris, or growing on their own roots ungrafted.”
Bioletti worked to establish the Cienega Valley’s “El Gavilan Vineyard” in San Benito County which, for many years, was one of the few places on the West Coast where Phylloxera did not make an appearance. Even today, surviving old-vine plantings in the region continue to bear fruit on their ungrafted roots.
Google Books
California Fruit Grower, Volumes 37-38 (page 5), March 7, 1908
Grapevines planted at “El Gavilan Vineyards”
Internet Archive
Pacific Wine and Spirit Review, 1912
First Vintage Produced at Gabilan Vineyards:
California Digital Newspaper Collection website:
https://cdnc.ucr.edu/?a=p&p=home&e=-------en–20–1–txt-txIN--------1
I remember David Lett telling me that in the thinking in the '70’s was “the only way planting on own roots would be a problem was if someone was stupid or greedy. Turns out both happned.”
Does Temperance Hill still have some own rooted blocks?
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You can add to the list in Oregon;
Parts of Van Duzer Vineyard.
Bednarik Vineyard.
Vita Springs.
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Here is an article detailing the specific traits and uses of modern winegrape rootstocks.
UC ANR
California Agriculture Vol 62 # 4, p.202-207
“Vineyard Nutrient Needs Vary with Rootstocks and Soils”
by J. Lambert, M. Anderson, J. Wolpert
2008
https://doi.org/10.3733/ca.v062n04p202
"Abstract:
"Sustainable vineyard fertilization can lead to cost savings while protecting the environment. However, appropriate fertilization conditions depend on the rootstocks, which differ in their uptake of macro- and micronutrients, as well as on the vineyard soils’ physical and chemical characteristics, which affect the soil nutrient reservoir.
"We studied identical sets of 14 rootstocks on three different soils. Rootstocks had a significant impact on petiole levels of nitrogen and potassium throughout the growing season. Pruning weight and fruit yield also varied considerably by rootstock and site.
“However, rootstock performance was not consistent among sites, nor was the seasonal pattern of change in nitrogen and potassium consistent among sites. The observed differences emphasize the impact of soil texture and nutrient availability on plant growth. Further studies will help guide the development of site-specific sustainable fertilization regimens.”
Here are a few online resources related to own-rooted vineyards:
· Pix Wine
“The Own-Rooted Wine Revival”
by Ines Salpico
October 13, 2021
by-line: “Why winemakers are on the hunt to find and preserve ungrafted vines”
· La Clos de Miège
"Free Yourself from Cultural Models: The Example of Own-Rooted Vines" (French language site)
by Florence Monferran
April 27, 2020
Several modern European own-rooted parcels are identified on the Association Les Vieilles Branches website. One also can read early 20th Century accounts on the introduction of Phylloxera-resistant root materials.
· Association Les Vieilles Branches
“Our Conservatories of Own-Rooted Vines” (French language site)
The Association Les Vieilles Branches promotes awareness of surviving own-rooted sites. However, the content on its website betrays a certain dislike of grafted vines. While there exist circumstantial advantages in cultivating grapevines on their native roots, it should not be necessary to malign the use of rootstock.
I find it unfortunate that the words of ampelographer Lucien Daniel (1856 - 1940) are included among the entry’s historic quotations. Mssr Daniel was reputed for controversial perspectives on the introduction overseas of American rootstock. A stinging rebuttal to Daniel can be found in a June, 1908, Australian newspaper article.
In 1908, Lucien Daniel published The Phylloxera Question: Grafting and the Wine Crisis with a Preface by Gaston Bonnier. The volumes are available to read online (in French):
· La Question Phylloxérique; le Greffage et la Crise… v.1-2
· La Question Phylloxérique; le Greffage et la Crise… v.1 c.2
Cogno has a pre phyllox Barbera
Yep, it says so right on the label. It’s from a sandy area in the cru. And it’s amazing, best Barbera I have had. Could be coincidence. But it’s really stunning. Drank it there in 2014.