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Inside the Santa Ynez Valley Magazine Spring 2003 Edition
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Presidio Winery
by Reka Badger
Santa Barbara County has always attracted pioneers. From the Franciscan fathers and hearty Danes who settled the Santa Ynez Valley, to the cattlemen and grape growers who carve a living from the land, folks with bold ideas find a warm welcome here, and room to realize their dreams.
Doug Braun, who founded Presidio Winery in 1991, recently tapped into that pioneering spirit when he dared to farm wine grapes in an area known for its persistent fog and cool breezes. After a long search for just the right spot, Doug bought 100 acres near Lompoc, and last year he planted 30 acres of vines.
Following the lead of Burgundian viticulturists (who have grown cool-climate grapes for centuries), Doug planted his vines three feet apart, with seven feet between the rows, for a remarkable density of 2074 vines per acre. He placed the first fruiting wires a mere 18 inches above the ground to keep vines short and to take advantage of radiant heat from the soil.
Early California viticulture called for 28 buds for each big vine, Doug explains, but here we ask a bunch of little vines to give the same output. We get less grapes per vine, but production equals old- time methods and the fruit's about the same size.
The vineyard, planted mostly to Pinot Noir, includes small blocks of Chardonnay, Pinot Gris, Syrah, strategically situated atop a south-facing ridge, and one acre of Viognier. Doug keeps his vines growing strong by practicing bio-dynamic farming, a holistic approach that incorporates critters from terrestrial microbes to beneficial insects to manure-making bovines, that promotes nutrient-rich soil.
If your soil is healthy, everything else will follow suit, he says with conviction. There's a price to pay for moving off a chemical system, but you do get a better product I'm not trying to farm for efficiency, I'm farming to fit the environment.
To improve the tired marine soil, he worked in 900 tons of organic amendment, planted cover crops and waited three years before installing the vineyard. He sprays no herbicides, relying on nitrogen-fixing legumes to discourage weeds, uses no pesticides or chemical fertilizers.
Eleven years ago we discovered chemical fertilizers didn't produce good quality grapes, Doug remembers, the flavors were vegetative. By changing to compost, we found the flavors were better.
Fully involved in the farming of his vineyard, Doug often prowls the rows and tends the vines alongside his workers. As the crew prunes old growth from knee high vines, Doug muses, Growers are the real stars of this industry, I don't think winemakers should take all the credit. Quality grapes come from good care in the vineyard, not from cocky winemakers who follow a recipe.
Doug rarely filters Presidio's wine, preferring to keep all the flavor constituents intact, and his own style of winemaking tends to follow the dictates of the grapes themselves.
My style changes from year to year, he admits. Every vintage is different: the berry size, chemistry, everything, [and] grapes from different vineyards have slightly different personality quirks. You can't employ the same techniques every year.
Though he plans to rely primarily on fruit from his own, cool-climate vineyard to supply his winery, Doug will continue to buy certain heat-loving grapes, like Merlot and Cabernet Franc, from growers in warmer corners. He looks forward to sharing small, vineyard-designate lots, made from the fruit of his long labor, with his friends and fans.
Presidio Winery wines make the transformation from grape juice to liquid gold at an 8000-square foot facility in Lompoc. Located in an industrial park frequented by winemakers for Brewer-Clifton, Sea Smoke Vineyard, Longoria Wines and Stolpman, Doug laughingly calls it the ghetto, cuz it's a basic wine place.
In January, Doug opened an elegant tasting room in downtown Solvang, at the corner of Atterdag and Mission Drive, where visitors can sample and buy his wines. A cool mix of terra cotta and grotto green, the room glows with natural light and the reflected shine from dozens of wine bottles, inviting tasters to linger awhile.
General Manager Matt Mann, lapsed attorney and Doug's right-hand man, pours on weekdays and confides to a visitor, Doug is a true believer in quality and value. He's studied a lot and has definite ideas about what's good and what's not. He's really the star of this place and he's a good guy to work for.
Doug grew up in San Diego, where his father, a professional musician, kept a yard full of berries, bananas, citrus and fruit trees, stoking his son's love of agriculture. After earning an AA in restaurant management and working at several high-profile establishments, Doug developed an irresistible affair with wine.
Not happy to simply sell the stuff, he went on to earn degrees in oenology and viticulture from Fresno State and U.C. Davis, respectively, and graduated into his new life of growing and making wine in 1984. Influenced, in part, by his mother, a retired history teacher, Doug named his winery presidio to honor the Spanish immigrants who first brought European grapes (Vitis vinifera) and winemaking to California.
Prepared for the long haul, Doug concedes, It's a long-term investment [and] I'd like to be here in 80 years. You don't push the vines, you don't hurry things the final test [will be] to see the wine quality over the years. And in the spirit of an intrepid pioneer, he adds, I know we'll have our problems, but I'm optimistic. |
