A few wise people led us to our current farming practices at Quixote. 

The first and possibly most influential of these was a local folk hero named Manuel “Manny” Barboza who, in a certain sense, came with Stags’ Leap Ranch when we bought it more than 30 years ago. Manny pretty much always knew what a vine was going to do before it happened. For him, the science of viticulture was in paying attention.

Then, because we always loved to eat, a young lady named Alice Waters followed close behind. From her Chez Panisse kitchen 35 years ago came perfectly ripe organic fruit and naturally grown vegetables along with the certain conviction that organic and sustainable farming was essential.

Next, came Friedensreich Hundertwasser to whom we were drawn because of his art and architecture. But, with his art came philosophy:

“You are a guest of Nature.  Behave,”  he said. We listened.

Finally, and most specifically, was our neighbor to the north, Rob Sinskey. Rob did the hard work of quietly and expensively experimenting in his Stags Leap and Carneros vineyards for 10 years before he talked out loud about his farming practices. We were lucky enough to be nearby when he started talking.

In the end, we learned that it’s hard to overstate the value of rich, living soil to sustaining grapevines that give us luscious fruit year in and year out. Under the tutelage of Jack Chambers, we started each rootstock by tossing in a cup of worm castings. To allow the Stags Leap soil to fully express its remarkable character, we planted our vineyard at 5’ x 7’ intervals that is divided into 18 distinctive blocks, each with a slightly different elevation, slope and soil.

Each block is harvested individually and the fruit fermented separately.  Often, vineyard blocks are picked two or three times, taking only grapes that are perfectly ripe. To ensure even ripening, we remove grape clusters from each vine thus reducing our harvest to as little as two tons per acre. 

We think you’ll agree, the resulting flavor concentration is sublime.