ABOUT KEMP VINEYARD…

Location - A stunning terraced vineyard is located on a ridgeline 3.8 miles west of Healdsburg and 15 miles northeast of the Pacific Ocean. 

AVA - Dry Creek Valley, Sonoma County California

Acreage -4

Elevation - 720' to 525' sloping to the northeast

Soil - Decomposed sandstone

Clone – Durrell

Trellising - Vertical Shoot Position

Climate - Average summertime high temperatures in the mid 80's and average low temperatures in the low 50's. The vineyard has occasional morning fog but usually sits slightly above the fog line. Average rainfall is approximately 42" per year.

Vineyard Management - Our family's vineyard management company, Bacchus Vineyard Management, worked closely with vineyard owner Alson Kemp on vine architecture, canopy management, nutrition and irrigation and the resulting fruit was everything we hoped for.

Kemp Vineyard History – The vineyard was planted by Alson and Martha Kemp in 1997. On a search for their perfect country retreat they found a heavily forested ridgeline property a few miles outside of Healdsburg. Soon they learned from neighbors that vineyards and orchards had been planted there in the early 1900’s and the vineyards were in fact tended during WWII by German prisoners of War. Although long since overgrown by the native plant population, they found the remnants of an old logging road and vineyard. The Kemps undertook the challenging prospect of replanting the property in 1999. 

Planting was extremely difficult. The site is basically rock and decomposed sandstone. Very little topsoil exists, forcing the vines to struggle relentlessly to survive and produce a crop. This struggle produces fruit of exceptional depth, color, and flavors. Small berries and clusters are the norm, and the wines from this block are naturally dark, and expressive.

ABOUT KICK RANCH

Wines from Kick Ranch – Sanglier 2008 Rosé and 2007 Kick Ranch Syrah (Fall ’09 Release)

Location - Sonoma County’s Rincon Valley, northeast of Santa Rosa.  Kick Ranch is a sustainable, rolling hillside vineyard on the western side of the northern flank of Spring Mountain, which separates Sonoma and Napa Counties.

Acreage - 41

Soil - The vineyard is sited on an alluvial bench having soil with an amazing mix of volcanic and other rock that contributes a rich minerality to wines.

Clone – 877, 470 and Hermitage

Trellising – Vertical Shoot Positioned

Climate – The vineyard is laid out for perfect sun exposure and has a 20 mile vista down to the Petaluma Wind Gap, providing cool nights and foggy mornings, ideal conditions for growing premium wine grapes.

Vineyard Management – Bacchus Vineyard Management

Kick Ranch Vineyard History – Owned by Dick Keenan and Kathy McNamara

Over the past 10 years the focus at Kick Ranch has been on Rhone grape varieties. It takes time to learn the potential of a vineyard site — what’s unique about its soils, its climate and growing conditions, what areas have rockier soils stress one variety more than another, which varieties fare better at the bottom of rolling hills where an early season frost can occur, which crop levels will yield optimum fruit. At Kick Ranch, learning about this sense of place, what some have called the "geography of flavor" and what the French sum up as terroir, is an ongoing process. In fact, in recent years, they have replanted and "t-budded" several acres of wines to grow more Rhone grapes to better express the potential of Kick Ranch as a signature vineyard for premium winemakers.

Visit www.kickranch.com