Meador Wines - End of Vintage Sale

End of Vintage Sale

From the private wine cellar of Doug Meador

Only available when ordered directly from Meador Estate:

2004 Meador Syrah “Maverick” List price $40.00 — 50% Discount on orders of 6 bottles or more!

2005 Meador Estate Pinor Noir List price $40.00 — 50% Discount on orders of 6 bottles or more!

2005 Meador Estate Grenache “The Boss” List price $40.00 — 15% Discount on orders of 6 bottles or more, or 30% Discount on 12 bottle case orders - PLUS FREE SHIPPING ON CASE ORDERS OF 'THE BOSS'!

2004 Meador Estate “Magnus” List price $60.00 — 15% Discount on orders of 6 bottles or more, or 30% Discount on 12 bottle case orders - PLUS FREE SHIPPING ON CASE ORDERS OF 'MAGNUS'!

To receive these discounts, phone in your order to 831-402-9594

Wine Freight Charges
FedEx/UPS Ground 5-7 Days
Delivered Monday-Friday 9am-5pm
1-3 Bottles - $14.00
4-6 Bottles - $18.00
7-12 Bottles - $25.00 (1st Case)
Each Additional Case - $20.00

3-Day Air and Overnight shipping is available for all wines and is priced according to weight and destination - just call 1-831-402-9594.

Meador Estate complies with federal and state laws. Call Meador Estate at 831-402-9594 to check availability for shipping to your state.

"OWN ROOTS"

by J. Douglas Meador

Author of The New Viticulture

Prior to about 1867 all European grapevines were grown on their "own roots" - i.e., there was no grafting of varietals to "rootstocks". In that time frame both amateurs and professionals imported "American" grapevines - wine varieties native to North America - for study. Unknown to them, they also brought along in the root mass a little bug native to North America - the Phylloxera. North American vines had evolved in the presence of this rascal and had developed resistance to it. Vinifera - the European vine had no such resistance! The bug loved the environment, loved the buffet lunch of vinifera and spread like wildfire - most likely from the area of Marseilles in the South. It was devastating.

The French tried everything to save their precious vineyards. Hybridizing - crossing vinifera with American - was tried diligently to no avail. However, some of these "French Hybrids" became of use in the Northeast of the U.S. The French soon discovered that using American roots and grafting vinifera on top provided the only resistance to the bug. Subsequently, hybridizing "rootstocks" was found useful for various purposes and soil types. It was also found that any vinifera in parentage reduced resistance to phylloxera. Most - not all - but most European vineyards were replanted to vines on American rootstocks.

The resulting vines (and wines) were nearly true to the original - not completely but "nearly". This "nearly" business is because the rootstocks interact with their soils differently than pure vinifera varieties on their own roots in a given soil. This is a mechanical thing and affects the associated results. The rootstocks do not cause genetic changes in the top - or "scion" as it's called. The resulting wines are Chardonnay or Cabernet or Pinot or whatever has been grafted on the root.

Many European writers of times past who have tasted current wines of before and after grafting have asserted differences. Many have bemoaned the necessary transition, asserting loss of certain subtleties and complexities associated with a given terroir - in essence, a loss to some degree (apparent to them) of distinctiveness of terroir.

Let me give an example on the technical side how this will occur. A wine is the integrated result of a 'grape" and the winemaking techniques. Lets hold the winemaking procedures constant (historically normal) and discuss the "grape". In a given terroir (which is everything about location - not just the "soil") a self-rooted vine will interact in a fashion unique to itself. The associated grape will reflect its foliage-to-fruit ratio, vine vigor, its ability to extract (or not) micro nutrients (if present), minerals (if present), moisture, etc., etc., etc.

If we now insert into the equation a rootstock under the vines we have changed the vine/fruit relationship. By definition - a rootstock is different than the variety on top. Thus, the entire relationship of the plant to the soil is different than if the plant were on its own roots. Notice that there is no assertion of necessarily "better" or "worse" - just different. It very well may be that in a very weak dry area a moisture scrounging rootstock could improve a grape in a dry year with no irrigation!

Another example would be the utilization of a rootstock that has a definite difficulty in gathering zinc leading to small leaves and set problems on the top. One major rootstock has - we now know - exactly such a problem. Absent corrective additions of zinc this rootstock would create substantially different fruit.

Most rootstocks are of native American varieties (or hybrids thereof). However, even with vinifera roots - but different variety - I have seen differences in the appearance of the top. One example is Chardonnay grafted onto Zinfandel roots. The Chardonnay clusters appear bigger and longer - more in the shape nature of zin! Yet - they are definitely Chardonnay in every other way - apparently.

At Ventana, for a variety of technical reasons with which I will not bore you, most of our vines are in the ancient way - on their own roots! We have been conducting rootstock exploratory trials since 1974 and do not yet have definitive answers. So far, our observations are that by far the best and most unique quality comes from vines on their own roots. We have also learned that we must match certain varieties to certain soil characteristics - a process that we have persued for a very long time. For example, some varieties have very high natural vigor and these we plant on soil with the most rock and least nutritional aspects. Thus, the vigor is restrained, the berries are smaller and, therefore the skin-to-juice- ratio is higher. As red wines acquire their "essence" and "extracts" from the skins, smaller berries yield wines of more depth.

Conversely, we like to grow varieties of less natural plant vigor on soils of more nutritional character - or feed them more. This works toward balancing the foliage and fruit. We also plant these types closer together thus asking less of each individual plant.

All of these viticultural procedural differences allow us to maximize and express the full range of characteristics unique to a given variety - from its roots through its fruit. The resulting wine is a full expression of the given variety within the Ventana terroir.

This pure expression of the varietal is not widely sustainable in the United States or Western Europe today. The phylloxera bug has changed all that. The Ventana Vineyard is one of the very few locations where the old-world pre-phylloxera vinifera grapevine thrives. In some support of the "own rooted" merits, might be the observation that Ventana Vineyards is now more than twenty consecutive years of gold and silver medals on its Chardonnay and Riesling grapes. Other varieties also have long strings of awards.

This would tend to indicate merit in the views of those observers of long ago something was lost with grafting.

It is the "location" - or terroir - of the Ventana that allows us to bring to you the pure experience of each of our varietals. Enjoy!

Doug Meador, Author of

Order your copy of The New Viticulture right here on this blog,
or at www.newviticulture.com

Press Release: The New Viticulture

January 21, 2009

Ellem Publishing, Inc. is proud to announce the release of a new book called THE NEW VITICULTURE by Douglas Meador. Many people in the wine industry have long awaited for the explanation of these theories and hypotheses that underlie the revolutionary vineyard design and application. Though the design system is widely applied throughout the New World, this is the first public exposure of the fundamental foundations.

The author relates the history of the evolution, a guide for future research and winemaking. He not only disagrees with the academic structure but also tenders solutions. There are many pictures of present day plantings, errors and corrective commentary thereon as teaching aids.

Douglas Meador was the owner of the acclaimed Ventana Vineyards, the most award winning single vineyard in America, with over 30 consecutive years of Gold medals from its Riesling grapes and 29 Consecutive years on its Chardonnay, plus many other firsts in the industry. He has given back to the industry in many ways. He flew A-4 Jets in the Navy, flying over 300 missions in Vietnam. He now lives in Carmel with his wife, LuAnn and enjoys his two sons, a daughter and three grandchildren. After selling Ventana in 2006 he began writing this new exciting book and in his spare time is writing a novel.

If you love the technical side of wine growing and the results—you will enjoy reading this book!

THE NEW VITICULTURE
Hard Cover: $50.00
ISBN 978-0-6152347-4-8

Order your copy online at the add to cart button on your right,

or at www.newviticulture.com