Process of vineyard re-plant following the October, 2017 wildfires
- By Melissa Moholt-Siebert
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- 15 Mar, 2019
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...the first 17 months
The fire was October 9, 2017.
When we returned to the property some weeks later, the vines were scorched, but we hoped they might recover.
In February, 2018 we reached out to a nursery to locate new vines in sufficient quantity for a replant, if necessary.
In March 2018 we brought in vineyard expert Rhonda Smith and sampled several rows (when sap should have been pushing) and determined that -- despite the beautiful green grass and hopeful vistas -- the vines were mostly very dry to dead.
Thus, we confirmed an order with the nursery for 15,000 new vines.
We pulled out all the trellis cross-arms, existing stakes, and 11 miles of trellis wire, then brought in large equipment to bulldoze all of the vines, and then added many truckloads of amendments (compost, lime, and -- ironically -- wood ash) and used a D-8 to deep rip the soil.
We then smoothed everything, planted a cover crop, spread straw over all of the land, and installed redundant erosion control measures for extra safety. This was finished by October 15 in the upper parts, and November 15 in the lower. This was a huge job with many complications.
Now we are laying out the new vineyard. The narrow private road going through the private property is not straight, so we have to make adjustments to our rows to fit around the road and not waste land. The north property line is not parallel to the road, so that presents complications. Then there are things like trees, that we don't want to cut down, and power poles, which we can't.
The previous layout had some short "point rows" that were time consuming to spray, so we are aligning these with longer rows in adjacent blocks. The new layout will have about 15% more acreage. It will have 50% more vines due to slightly narrower row spacing and plant spacing in the rows. But it will have 15% fewer turns, due to improvements in alignment and elimination of very short rows, based upon our experience working with the prior vineyard.
The previous layout had some short "point rows" that were time consuming to spray, so we are aligning these with longer rows in adjacent blocks. The new layout will have about 15% more acreage. It will have 50% more vines due to slightly narrower row spacing and plant spacing in the rows. But it will have 15% fewer turns, due to improvements in alignment and elimination of very short rows, based upon our experience working with the prior vineyard.
Stay tuned for more as the saga continues to unfold...
Ancient Oak Cellars, and Jon McDaniel with Second City Soil, gathered 60+ of the top sommeliers from around the country to taste four wines that Ancient Oak had sent to each -- and to enter into a discussion of the wines, farming and winemaking philosophies, and a wide-range of other related topics. We had a blast!
Re-live your experience, or take it in for the first time. Then be in touch to continue the discussions. Cheers!
A video introduction to the neighborhoods of the Russian River Valley.
watch a video of winemaker Greg La Follete talking about the importance of family-farmed wines and native yeast fermentation.
An occasional series in which we learn about wine professionals -- Somms, Wine Directors, Winemakers -- and whether they are really of another species, or whether we should view them as friends who know more about wine than we do, and can help us choose and learn more about wine!
We visited Novavine nursery, in Sonoma Valley, recently to see the progress of our newly-grafted grapevines, and to learn more about the process.
As you may know, Siebert Ranch -- the house, barns, and vineyards where owners Melissa and Ken Moholt-Siebert live -- was destroyed in the 2017 wildfires. We are on the long path to recovery and rebuilding. You can support us by buying our wine!
Melissa will be pouring Ancient Oak Cellars' wines at the Pomona College Alumni Vintner Tasting
A look at how oaks reproduce -- and a list of other interesting facts about oaks.
Our family's special Easter decoration, found inside the ruins of our barn following the 2017 wildfires, serves as a symbol of hope.
We continue to follow the long road to recovery following the Tubbs Fire, which destroyed the Siebert Ranch PInot Noir vineyard. In this installment, we explore the process of grafting the new vines that will make up the new vineyard.
