Alta Mesa Vineyard – a good attitude and a high altitude
Located in eastern Santa Barbara County in the Cuyama Valley, Alta Mesa Vineyard sits perched above Barnwood Vineyards at 3200 feet in elevation. Directly southwest of the vineyard is a close look of Cuyama Peak at 5300 feet in elevation, a feature of the Sierra Madre Mountain Range and part of the Los Padres National Forest. As the crow flies, Alta Mesa is approximately 30 miles over the hills from Santa Barbara.
A consultant for Barnwood Vineyards, Dave Corey fell madly in love with the “North Mesa” as soon as he saw it. Mainly, he was attracted to the varietals planted there, 17.5 acres planted to Mourvèdre and Grenache. A long-time freakish fan of Mourvèdre based wines from Southern France and several regions of Spain, Dave also recognized the unusual combination of high elevation, diverse soil types, topography and choice plant materials that were assembled there. With a one-track mind and infectious enthusiasm, Dave eventually worked out a long-term lease on the property with the owners of Barnwood Vineyards.
Planted in 2000 to 8 X 5 spacing (1089 vines per acre), this vineyard is home to 8 acres of Mourvèdre (Tablas clone, 369, & 4 on 1103P & 101-14 rootstock) and 9.5 acres of Grenache (Tablas clone A on 1103P & 101-14 rootstock). The soils consist of decomposed granite and clay loam with large rocks of schist, quartzite, basalt, and gneiss. There is a massive swing of daily temperatures that is very beneficial to the growing of these grapes, most often a 40 -50° difference between day and night. Daytime high temperatures are lowered by the arrival of cooling breezes from the north at approximately 2:00 in the afternoon.
The philosophy of vineyard farming at Alta Mesa is centered on the principles of sustainable agriculture and the active participation of the people who are making the wine, bottling the wine, marketing the wine, selling the wine, delivering the wine……….now do you get the meaning of CORE? Depending on the time of year, Dave spends anywhere from 12-30 hours a week in the vineyard. With the exception of events like spraying, pruning and harvest, he’s able to do most of the vineyard work himself. While the vineyard is not certified organic, it is managed with organic guidelines in mind. So far this year there has only been two mildew sprays, both with sulfur and potassium bicarbonate. There is no fertilization used on the vines and the weeds have been controlled by mowing, cover crops and hand hoeing.
In the 2003 growing season, the vines were trained for bi-lateral cordon with one bud spurs, one shoot per spur with 1-2 clusters per shoot. This will yield an average of 1-1.5 tons/acre while the vines are still young. As the vines mature, the average yield will increase to 2-3 tons/acre.
There are four soil moisture monitors in the vineyard and seven temperature sensors. These devices play a vital role in the judicious use of water on the vines. Precise water management is important for warm climates in the thickening of grape skins, helping prevent dehydration during hot weather.
