To Kalon, a winery considered California’s crown jewel due to its enduring renown for producing world-class, top-scoring Cabernet Sauvignon, has secured its legendary standing with natural certification.
Blue-chip producers similar to Robert Mondavi, Schrader Cellars, To Kalon Winery Firm and Cliff Lede have all cemented their reputations on To Kalon fruit. However as iconic as they and this winery are, there’s all the time room for enchancment.
The previous three years have seen rigorous overhauls inside To Kalon in pursuit of the bold California Licensed Natural Farmers (CCOF) natural certification.
‘Whereas the To Kalon winery has been farmed sustainably for a few years, the problem was within the dedication to a licensed natural programme,’ says Blake Wooden, director of winery operations at Robert Mondavi Vineyard. ‘There’s a mindset shift there. The margin for error may be very slender. It’s been enjoyable to look at our workforce reply to this problem.’
The To Kalon legacy
To Kalon winery, in Napa’s Oakville appellation and planted with simply over 80% Cabernet Sauvignon, is primarily owned by Constellation Manufacturers. Right now 177ha are managed by the Robert Mondavi Vineyard with a further 94ha held by College of California Davis and Beckstoffer Vineyards, amongst others.
To this point, 134ha of To Kalon’s vines have obtained the CCOF certification. Youthful vines await certification whereas a number of established blocks act as buffer zones the place the winery abuts conventionally farmed properties. Natural certification on this scale marks a serious milestone for each To Kalon and Napa Valley.
‘This is a vital second for the trade,’ says Thomas Rivers Brown, winemaker at Schrader Cellars. ‘When such an iconic, high-profile winery like To Kalon makes the dedication to natural farming, it demonstrates a perception that it actually does influence high quality for the higher. By natural practices, we’re making higher wine by serving to to stability yields, enhance focus and handle canopies with minimal intervention.’
The challenges of changing to natural viticulture
Transitioning a winery of To Kalon’s dimension, scope and popularity from typical to natural farming and obtain certification is an immense endeavor. It requires detailed adherence to stringent requirements on winery functions, renewable assets, soil and water conservation. Every little thing wants documenting and milestones checked – all a part of Constellation’s future-focused sustainability plan.
‘The principle problem with farming organically is that there isn’t any margin for error,’ says Sally Johnson Blum, director of winemaking at Robert Mondavi Vineyard. ‘In a troublesome classic, our choices to regulate are extraordinarily restricted. Our winery workforce must be a number of steps forward of Mom Nature always. It’s a giant problem, for certain. Was it value it? Completely, 100%.’
Blum provides: ‘Weed management is a serious problem in natural viticulture. Mechanical weed management is among the finest choices, however the further tractor passes can current a carbon emissions problem. To deal with this, we now have bought the primary six absolutely electrical, driver-optional sensible tractors within the wine trade, made by Monarch Tractor, an organization co-founded by Carlo Mondavi.’
The primary natural To Kalon classic
The primary licensed natural grapes from the To Kalon winery might be harvested on this yr’s 2023 classic. However will the wines echo the adjustments within the winery? Andy Erickson, winemaker at To Kalon Winery Firm, thinks so.
‘Natural farming in To Kalon Winery has all the time been crucial to me,’ Erikson says. ‘We dwell and work among the many vines, so it’s good to know that we’re farming the proper method. I’m so completely satisfied that we’ve reached this milestone. The winery already feels so alive and I do know that might be mirrored within the wines.’
