We are blessed with the ability to farm three distinct vineyards: SHR, Home and the historical Deaver Vineyard. Each parcel has its own unique characteristics and yields such wonderfully different styles of Zinfandel. We are also very fortunate that all our vineyards are in close proximity to our winery which helps during the harvest. The name Terra d’Oro means “Land of Gold”…which pretty much sums it up.
Planted in 1977---3.68 Acres---100% Sustainable
Vineyard Notes: The Vineyard, in its entirety, was grafted over to Zinfandel in 1994 on the susceptible rootstock AxR. It is the only Zin vineyard owned that is bilateral cordon trained and used for red wine production. The vineyard is surrounded by mature Valley Oaks with deep roots that monopolize the water supply, thus making it necessary to harvest the outer vines first and continue in a doughnut pattern.
Clonal Information: The vineyard is planted in what is called the “Heritage” clone, which produces fruit with very unique characteristics. Unlike traditional Zinfandel, these clusters are very loose with round berries, allowing the grapes to ripen in a much more uniform manner. The Heritage clone also produces wines with exceptionally soft, lush structure that is more characteristic of a Sonoma Valley Zinfandel than an Amador County wine.
Soil Notes: Receiving a pronounced southwest sun exposure, the soil is unique for Amador County. It is much more alluvial in nature than our other vineyards. It lacks the signature red hue that is traditionally a result of large iron components, typical of Amador soil.
Planted in 1996----40 Acres----100% Sustainable
Vineyard Notes: These 40 acres are planted to 80% Zinfandel, 13% Petite Sirah and 7% Barbera. Paying homage to the ancient practice of field blending, all the grapes are co-fermented. The vineyard was laid out east to west with every seventh row being Petite Sirah, the thirteenth Barbera, fourteenth Petite Sirah and so forth. The tractor rows run north to south so the grapes picked into the gondola are brought to winery “blended.” This ancient technique is very clever, because it allows for interactions between the phenols (extracts from the skins & seeds) which create a complexity to the wine that cannot be recreated if these varietals were harvested separately.
Clonal Information: The Zinfandel is a Deaver clone, planted on rootstock 110R. The Petite Sirah is from Ridge and the Barbera is commonly referred to as a “California Selection.”
Soil Notes: This vineyard lies next to our Home Vineyard and as a result has a bit of the alluvial soil near its border. The majority of the vineyard is classic Sierra Sandy Loam, a thin soil with lots of red clay and decomposing granite laced in. This extremely thin soil prohibits the vines from producing large crop and it dries out very quickly, causing the vines to ripen faster which leads to intense, rich and aggressive wines.
Planted in 1881----Approximately 23 Acres
Vineyard Notes: The Deaver Vineyard has a horseshoe-shaped ridge that runs though the vineyard, with a swale in the middle of that horseshow. That swale produces a crop that is harvested separately due to the soil depth yielding different complexities in the fruit. The wines are al head trained which has been most effective with Zinfandel because it gives the fruit excellent sun exposure.
Clonal Information: This vineyard is one of the original plantings in Amador County and the vines have served as the parent cuttings for a majority of other vineyards in the region. The Deaver acreage is iconic when discussing Amador Zinfandel, as it continues to produce rich fruit with amazing concentration, character and Shenandoah spice.
Soil Notes: The soil on the ridge of this field is very shallow and rocky, with lots of clay in it and a large iron component, which is a characteristic of many Shenandoah Valley vineyards.
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