Portola Springs
Our steepest and most “extreme” site for Chardonnay, the Portola Springs Vineyard produces structured and precise Chardonnay.
Portola Springs Vineyard
“The Portola Springs Vineyard is the most ‘extreme’ of our Chardonnay vineyards. It is very steep and funnels the cool marine air coming off the Pacific down it’s slopes. Tractor driving here is a white-knuckle affair. It is nearly always the last of our Chardonnay to be picked, ripening very slowly. Yields are frustratingly low, yet the quality of the wine is always high enough to keep any thoughts of replanting on the back burner. There is a pretty significant swath of volcanics that run though this site, greatly influencing the vines and the resulting wines. The wine here is almost piercingly mineral, yet is balanced by an intense lemon-oil character.”
– Nathan Kandler
Technical Notes
Year Planted: 1980
Elevation: 1920 ft.
Size: 2.5 acres
Exposure: Eastern, very, very steep
Soils: Lambert Shale, Basalt
Clone: Wente 4
Rootstock: AxR1
Vine Spacing: 6′ vines x 10′ rows
