One Vintage: A Year in the Vineyard

In the soil of our Santa Ynez vineyard, sibling vines grow side by side. Though all are rooted in the same gravelly clay loam, some flourish, lush and green, while others seem to struggle, stunted and pale. It is a mystery.

"Viticulture is an art, like practicing medicine," says out friend Paul Hohe, a retired physician and fellow wine grape grower. He is right. At first we rely on technical knowledge, but in the end experience and intuition are our most valuable tools. Nothing is wholly pr...