Viticulture

Briarwood Vineyards is a 31 acre farm located in the Templeton Gap area of Paso Robles, California. Currently the estate has been planted with Grenache, Syrah, Mourvèdre, Cabernet Sauvignon, Petite Sirah, Tempranillo, Zinfandel, Alicante Bouchet, Primitivo, Malbec, Viognier, Sauvignon Blanc and Grenache Blanc grapes. 9 acres were harvested in 2009 with another 25 acres planned for 2010. The surrounding hills have gently eroded over the years, creating alluvial fans across the land with a perfect combination of Sorrento clay and cobble and limestone in the soil.

Our goal each year is to raise highly concentrated and highly expressive fruit. We reduce our crop to allow the vines to concentrate their energy into the remaining clusters. The vine canopy is thinned over numerous passes to allow sunlight penetration and air movement within the vine canopy, without over-exposing the fruit at any one time.

We greatly benefit from the daily breeze, which funnels through the Templeton Gap and circulates air throughout the rows of the vineyard. Air circulation naturally combats fungus in the vines and provides the opportunity for “Sparkle light” to reach the clusters below. Both leaves and canes sway in the breeze and allow dappled sunlight to penetrate the vine canopy from above.

We feed our soils throughout the year so they in turn feed the vines. Our extensive soil enrichment is accomplished through heavy composting and cover cropping. Utilizing cover crops is the most effective natural way to feed soils and improve their structure and aggregation. Valuable soil bacteria and fungus consume the organic matter from cover crops and compost after it is incorporated into the soil, and in turn provide nutrients available to the plants.