Edmunds St. John

Berkeley, CA 94709
t: (510) 981.1510
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    • 2020 Bone-Jolly Gamay Noir Rose
    • 2019 Bone-Jolly Gamay Noir
    • 2019 Bone-Jolly Gamay Noir Rosé
    • 2019 Heart of Gold
    • 2018 El Jaléo, Shake Ridge Ranch
    • 2018 Bone-Jolly Gamay Noir
    • 2017 EL JALEO
    • 2014 Barsotti Ranch Syrah
    • 2015 North Canyon Road Syrah
    • 2018 Heart of Gold
    • 2018 Bone-Jolly Gamay Noir Rose
    • 2017 Bone-Jolly Gamay Noir Rosé
    • 2017 Bone-Jolly Gamay Noir
  • The Vineyards
    • Fenaughty Vineyard
    • Witters Vineyard
    • Barsotti Vineyard
    • Shake Ridge Ranch
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  • Song

Witters Vineyard

Before 2000, Bob Witters’ property was planted to Bartlett pears, for quite some time. But by 1999, the pressure of global economics drove the market price for Bob’s pears so low that it didn’t make sense for him to keep farming them. The market for wine grapes, on the other hand, was expanding, and Bob had a conversation with Ron Mansfield about putting in a vineyard to replace his pears.

Since Edmunds St. John had been working with Ron at that point for a dozen years, we spoke about Bob’s site, and it seemed like it might be a really good site for Gamay, a grape that had been on our radar for some time. Ron conferred with Bob, and in the Spring of 2000, four acres were planted to Gamay, the first planting of real Gamay in California in a generation!

Witters is situated at 3,400 feet elevation, making it one of the highest vineyards in California. The soil is volcanic clay-loam, and the land slopes gently down to the North. At that elevation, temperatures are generally pretty mild, and nights can be quite cool. The risk for frost in the Spring is fairly high, and there have been a couple of years where crop losses were substantial.

Wines from this vineyard: Bone-Jolly Gamay Noir Rosé

 

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Berkeley, CA 94709
(510) 981.1510 • Email us