20. Vine Visit

Last week I went to California to visit my girlfriend, Katie, who is living in Napa and cooking at a Michelin Star restaurant called Terra in St. Helena. While I was there, I drove over to the Novavine Nursery expansion block in Woodland, CA to check on my baby grape vines. They have 2.5 million grape vines growing out there! (See the bottom of the page)

The vines in the picture below were grafted to their root stock last winter and were planted in the ground in April. They spent the growing season enjoying the sun and the fresh air. This winter, after they go dormant, they will be pulled up, bundled and shipped to Texas for planting at Alta Marfa next April.

Once again, the sheer volume of this project was made apparent to me. Come out in April and help me plant all these babies! It will be a challenge, but I guarantee it will be unforgettable!

My vine order takes up about 8 of these rows!

This row of my Cabernet Sauvignon vines is grafted onto 1103 Paulsen root stock.

The leaves are just starting to change color for fall.

This little Cabernet vine is getting a little ahead of its self.