Spring at LaBarge East Vineyard
Early last month, I spent a morning with Pierre LaBarge at his LaBarge East Vineyard, in the heart of the Sta. Rita Hills. We met at the winery property and vineyard on the western edge of the appellation, just outside of Lompoc. This vineyard is relatively flat, on an elevated plateau of clay-loam and sandy soil mixed with diatomaceous earth. By comparison, the 12 acre East Vineyard is completely different - steeply sloped with much thinner, rockier soil. We hopped in the winery truck for the 15 minute drive on the mainly unpaved, Sweeney Canyon Road that dissects the appellation. When we arrived, we immediately hiked up a steeply sloped Pinot Noir block to get a full perspective of the property.
After nearly 40 inches of rain this winter, the roads and vineyards were nearly impassable. Recently, however, the vineyards dried up enough to finally get vineyard crews in to perform springtime duties. The vines - pruned just a few weeks prior - were just coming to life. The dense cover crop was freshly mowed and weeds between the vines were removed - but not in the usual way. Typically, the weeds are taken care of by a specialty tractor implement called a Clemens Weed Knife. The Clemens cuts the roots of the weeds just under the soil, but retracts the knife when it senses the larger vine. This year the weeds were so big, the Clemens thought many weeds were vines, so crews had to go in and manually do this by hand. LaBarge Estate is CCOF Certified Organic, so all weeding is done manually without sprays.
As we continued on, Pierre explained his pruning methods, discussed his innovative farming for cool-climate Grenache, and we checked-in on some younger Syrah vines.
When we made it to the property’s Eastern edge, we came across a spectacular view of the lush Southeastern Sta. Rita Hills and the Santa Ynez River flowing through it.
Looking Southeast from the edge of the LaBarge East Vineyard.
Our last stop was the Albariño blocks - the only ones planted in the appellation - that are on a smaller, separate hillside of the site. Here, the soils are lighter in color, more sandy and filled with white rocks. The vines are thinner and more wispy. Pierre originally decided to plant Albariño by doing a soil analysis. The results came back as a dead ringer to Rias Biaxas (minus rainfall), the spiritual homeland of Albariño in Northwestern Spain. The wines made from these blocks are full of verve and are enticing.
Overall, Pierre has an excited outlook for the vineyards and our region for the next several vintages with the soils saturated and rejuvenated. It’s easy to see why with so much color and life this time of year.
