Hours: Year Round
The original six acre vineyard was established in 1995. Here, we grow Sauvignon Blanc and four red Bordeaux varieties: Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot. Resting between 1000 and 1200 feet in elevation with the valley floor below at 800 feet, this mainly western exposed vineyard site's soils are deep and well drained, with low to moderate water-holding capacity. These soils are comprised of Myersville-Catoctin Complex, Chester Manor, and Chester loam, with formed-in weathered products of green schist, granodiorite and greenstone.
Vine density of the original vineyard is 454 and 908 vines per acre. These vines were originally cordon trained and spur pruned, but all have been converted to cane pruned and all are growing on the Open Lyre trellising system. A permanent covercrop grows between the rows and under the vines to wick away water, thus controlling the vines summertime growth. The red Bordeaux varieties are cropped at 1.5 to 2.5 tons per acre; the Sauvignon Blanc is approximately 4 tons per acre.
