We re innovators in close spacing with rows spaced as narrowly as one meter by .85 of a meter. Part of our Red Hills Vineyard has 4,800 pinot noir plants per acre which makes harvesting more labor intensive because no machine squeezes in between our rows. You might wonder why this is critical. We control the amount and consistency of fruit resulting in more concentrated flavors.
All thinning is by hand which a slower process but benefits quality of grapes.
Leaf thinning in July involves meticulous scrutiny as leaves are removed from the fruit zone permitting more effective air flow and better absorption rate for nutrients. More sunlight reaches the clusters. Most vineyards conveniently arrange for clusters to be chest high, we grow our vines close to the ground at a height of only 21 . Our vineyard crews do back breaking labor, crouching down to harvest clusters. When vines fight for competition, roots dig deeper which makes smaller berries with fewer clusters.