Trunk Show

By Branden Andersen The sky over Concinnitas Farm in Yamhill was blue and bright. While still a brisk February day, the weather was unseasonably dry and warm, with highs in the low 50s. The surrounding hills were bare of snow, and spring felt right around the corner– two months ahead of schedule. Enologist Chad Stock was working with Sterling Vineyard Management operations manager Juan Cruz, pruning vines in a style the Willamette Valley rarely sees: a head-trained vine. “Think of it like a goblet, or an umbrella turned inside out,” Stock explained as he inspected vine positioning to identify the best candidates for pruning. “It’s the start of what will essentially be a grape tree.” Stock, who manages Concinnitas and co-owns Limited Addition Wines with his wife, Master of Wine Bree Stock, was pruning a block of Gamay Noir that morning alongside Cruz. Together they examined each vine, shaping the eight-year-old plants with a vision of what they would

by Hilary Berg · source ↗