There might possibly be a worse tended to vineyard in the Napa Valley than this one, but I doubt it. Developed in two phases, beginning in the summer of 2015, this vineyard began life as a couple of
horse paddocks and continued that way for more than 30 years. (Horses destroy soil texture through compaction.) The soil was ripped to a depth of 5 feet with a bulldozer and then planted to Petit Verdot (clone 1058) on 1103 Paulsen rootstock. And then, nothing; no love, no training, no water. No water! To say these vines are a tad physiologically delayed is a bit of an understatement. So sad.
The property recently changed ownership and the new owners aren't quite sure what they want to do with their new vineyard. Frankly, this poor vineyard may be beyond resuscitation, it's in such a bad condition. And I have real doubts that Petit Verdot could ever ripen in chilly Coombsville. We'll see.
