February 2022 - 18

Old world style,
new world benefit
Dominus Estate's organic, dry-farmed vineyards
create harmony with the land
Winter vines in Napanook Vineyard, where working with the natural environment and microclimates are important for production and quality. Photos: Dominus Estate
By Crystal Nay
Western Editor
Organic farming is a natural
extension of the long-held philosophy
at Dominus Estate that vines produce
more balanced and complex grapes
when grown in harmony with the
environment.
The decision to transition to organic
seemed a natural one for its Napanook
Vineyard, which has been farmed
organically for many years prior to
certification and promotes the fact
that healthy, thriving and vital soils are
key for a successful yield.
" Organic viticulture ensures
the vineyards are free of synthetic
pesticides and herbicides, which
encourages soil biodiversity, " said Tod
Mostero, director of viticulture and
enology at Dominus. " We believe this
is the way vines should be farmed
for the health of our field workers,
consumers and ecosystem, and the
quality of our wines. "
Dominus has its unique partnership
with the land - an old world style
adopted from owner Christian
Moueix's native France. Every aspect
of the vineyard - from variety to row
orientation, canopy shape to overall
crop management - is determined by
a solid understanding of the land's soil
ecosystems, the natural environment,
and, even more specifically, the
microclimate.
" This practice increases the vines'
connection to the land, promoting
their growth in harmony with their
surroundings, " Mostero said. " In this
way, they become part of the land and
in turn produce grapes that taste like a
clear and individual expression of the
place. "
These older techniques also
extend to the cellar, including hand
racking using the esquive. It's a slow
technique requiring time and care
to remove all of the sediment during
aging, which clarifies the wine and
increases its purity. By improving
the microbiological stability and
brilliance, said Mostero, it allows the
winemakers to avoid unnecessary
fining agents and excessive filtration.
It's a minimal intervention approach
that involves picking grapes at the
peak of complexity and maintaining
detailed attention to the winemaking
decisions that preserve the character
of the fruit.
" One example of that is our
respectful approach to extraction
during fermentations and the limited
use of new barrels, which can veil the
individual personality of the wine, "
Mostero said.
Taking it even further is the estate's
use of dry farming - a technique used
for non-irrigated cultivation - across
all of its acres. For those who are
skeptical, pre-1970s Napa vineyards
were all dry farmed. Because of this,
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18 | FruitGrowersNews.com
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February 2022

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of February 2022