1983-1987
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2001-2003 | 2004-2007 |
1983-1987
1983-84
Ten acres of the property were cleared, ripped and the steeper areas were
terraced. We put in two ten-thousand gallon cement water tanks at the top
of the vineyard to hold water for future irrigation and a six-foot high
deer fence was constructed around the entire property – unfortunately
it doesn’t always work.
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1985
In the spring, we planted 3,555 Merlot vines that were one-year old bench
grafts. The Merlot Clone 6 on AXR-1 rootstock; at the same time we planted
945 Cabernet Sauvignon vines. The Cabernet was a clone from Germany that
was planted in the original vineyard at Inglenook, also on AXR-1 rootstock.
A small workshop and storage shed was constructed to house our tools and
for a place where we can get out of inclement weather when working in the
vineyard. By summer we found out that our well was not adequate to irrigate
the new vineyard – we needed water in a hurry or the young vines would
die. We drilled a second, deeper well and it too was inadequate. A move
to the opposite side of the vineyard resulted in a deep (300 feet) well
that is prolific-just in time!
1987
We had been coming to St. Helena from Midland, Texas (our home at the time)
since 1983, staying and working on the property from a few days to a few
weeks at a time. This year we decided that the vineyard needed full-time
supervision, so we rented an apartment in St. Helena and Barbara started
working on the vineyard from January through harvest. Jim continued his
business as a petroleum geologist in Midland, Texas and came to St. Helena
to help as time permitted. This year we also cleared the last five acres
of vineyard and burned the brush and logs during the winter. The most gratifying
event of the year was our first small harvest, which sold to Conn Creek
Winery.
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1988
We planted the last five acres of our vineyard with 2,300 Merlot vines on
110-R root stock. We used more Clone 3 and some Clone 6.
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1989
We bought a Fiat Crawler so we could do the spraying and other tractor work
ourselves. Jim told the salesman that if he could teach Barbara to drive
the tractor, we would take it. Before this year we had contracted with our
friends across the road, the Schweigers, who sent their foreman and crawler
over to do the work. We had to stop traffic and lay heavy boards across
the road so he could drive from their vineyard to ours.
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1991
Carolyn and Jim Pride with their wine maker, Bob Foley, bought some bulk
Merlot wine made from our grapes that we had sold to another winery. Bob
finished the wine and blended it with Pride’s Cabernet Sauvignon.
This purchase will be a major event for us, but we won’t know it for
two more years. Last year we cleared some fir trees that were shading a
block of Merlot; we decided to plant a small block of Syrah on the cleared
area as an experiment.
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1992
In May, we finally started building a house at the vineyard. Jim closed
his office in Midland, Texas and moved to California full-time. Andy Isdahl,
our skilled builder and friend, built the house with us acting as his assistants
and help from our son Sheldon during the summer. It took us nine months
to complete the house while taking care of the vineyard at the same time.
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1993
In March, we moved into our home and acquired a new friend, Aussie, the
vineyard dog. She is an Australian Terrier who loves to hunt; this trait
will put her on a collision course with our local rattlesnake population.
The Prides released the 1991 Merlot, which was made from our grapes and
their Cabernet Sauvignon – it is a smash hit! We agreed to sell our
grapes to the Prides starting in 1994 and their wine maker, Bob Foley, will
make wine from part of the grapes into Paloma wine for us. We will increase
our production each year as the Prides become more self-sufficient from
their own vineyard. This arrangement has proven to be a great relationship
with a fantastic team, Carolyn and Jim Pride, and Bob Foley.
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1996
Our first wine is released, the 1994 Paloma Merlot – all 575 cases
of it. The wine is a blend of 88 per cent estate grown Merlot and 12 per
cent estate grown Cabernet Sauvignon. It is a hit with the wine critics
and, more importantly, with the public. This year, after three years of
making non-commercial Syrah for ourselves, we made our first commercial
Syrah.
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1998
This is the El Niño year; we fought the weather all year and dropped
tons of fruit until harvest so the grapes would ripen. The big news is that
we hired our first full-time helper. What a luxury to not worry about work
that needs to be done at the vineyard! Our first Syrah is released and does
very well; we have 150 cases and will never have much more or less as we
have no more room to plant.
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2000
After a year and a half of filing forms and going to hearings we started
construction of our own winery at the vineyard. It is barely finished by
harvest, but we get to do our own crush. It is chaos, with equipment that
we have never used before and our low-skill level; Bob Foley gives us guidance,
helps us a lot and we bumble through. What a year to have a first crush!
The grapes couldn’t figure out the weather and we had to pick thirteen
times to get the fruit to the degree of ripeness that we like! Because we
had help, we took our first formal vacation in fifteen years; the bad news
is we had to let our helper go in December, so we are back to only us and
Aussie – she is very bright, but has never learned to prune.
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2001
Our Canadian grandchildren always visit in the summer and help around the
vineyard, but this year our oldest grandson, Caston Richards, 14-years-old,
from Calgary, Alberta, Canada, joined us for a strenuous ten days at harvest.
He was a lot of help, but I think we wore him out.
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2002
In December, we had the most snow we have ever seen on Spring Mountain. We had six-inches in a very short time. We had several days without power and the roads down the mountain were blocked with fallen trees. Our old dog is at an age where strange lights (flashlights, lanterns, candles) drives her around the bend, so we spent several stressful evenings with her barking at anything and everything!
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2003
Our son Sheldon, from Canada, joined our business in August, just in time for harvest. Fortunately, he was here when The Wine Spectator magazine named our 2001 Paloma Merlot their "Wine of the Year" for 2003. We were pleased with the honor, but hardly prepared for the avalanche of calls, faxes and emails requesting wine or just to be on next year's mailing list. We sold out of wine in very short order. We don't like to be out so early, but it was a "good" problem to have. Our grandson, Caston, didn't realize when he helped with harvest in 2001 that he was contributing to such an award winning wine.
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2004
The Wine Spectator places Paloma Merlot in the top 100 again with the 2002
Paloma Merlot 54th of over 12,000 wines tasted this year. Another exceptional
honor. We pulled our small Syrah block, which produced about 100 cases of
wine per year and replaced it with Cabernet Sauvignon. There were many disappointed,
loyal Paloma Syrah fans.
This year the Merlot suffered severe damage from “shatter”,
which resulted in half the normal crop. Shatter is caused by excessive moisture
during bloom, the blossom does not pollinate and the fruit does not set.
It is a more common with Merlot, which is more susceptible to shatter than
other varietals, but we have never been effected so adversely.
We pulled up our small Syrah vineyard, much to the chagrin of some long-time
Paloma Syrah lovers. It tended to grow out of control and just became too
much trouble to work. We replanted with Cabernet Sauvignon..
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2005
Again, we lost half the crop to shatter — two years in a row! We had
a photovoltaic (solar electric) system placed on the roof of the winery,
which provides enough electricity to power the winery, our home, and the
house our son, Sheldon, started constructing this year.
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2006
Sheldon finished building his home in late September, just in time to help
with harvest. Finally, after two difficult years, we had a good crop; in
fact, it was the best crop we have had in years.
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