There s more dirt in them and less rock. Plug it into the equation and again you get more vigorous vines, more ripening capacity, and the necessity for a heavier crop to get the same kind of balance within each vine for which the best European growers strive. Because over-irrigated vines yield a lot of fruit but not very much flavor interest. Which brings us to the concept of a serious grower. Of course it usually does, but when it s applied to a grower it means someone who recognizes his vines as living individuals instead of as mere fruit spewing machines.
Serious growers don t think of their land as a mere device for holding up their vines either.
To them each fold of every slope is an individual with a voice to be heard that can only find expression through its fruit. A serious grower approaches every vineyard operation with the idea that the general routine has to be adjusted in every part of his fields according to the slope, the soil, and the age and the health of the vines there. A serious grower feels responsible. They never stop working. A serious grower puts in long hours in the cellar, too, but many of the serious growers I ve been privileged to meet know very little about winemaking.