Pruning

Although the vineyard is largely quiet this time of year we are starting to get moving again.  The vines may be dormant but there’s still work to be done.  Pruning – a long and hard task – is a crucial first step for us each year in the vineyard.  There are so many different approaches and techniques and our decision to do things a certain way sets the tone and tempo for growth for this year and next.  We get asked a lot about pruning and in particular why we opt for different methods in various blocks so hopefully this entry will serve as an introduction to the Medlock Ames approach and answer a few of those questions. 

We use two main approaches to train our vines and these require two different pruning methods.  Our oldest blocks are bilateral cordons that are spur pruned.  That is to say that the vines consist of a trunk with two arms (cordons) extending horizontally – it is from canes growing on these cordons that fruit will develop each year.  The process is simply to prune back last years growth at each position to a single spur on which this year’s canes will grow.  However, the decision as to which cane to cut can be complicated and we rely heavily on our crew’s experience and knowledge of ultimately what quality of fruit (high!) we are looking for to drive that decision.  The health, maturity and vigor of each vine affects that decision and we work hard to make sure that enough thought and accuracy goes into that process as possible.  Through pruning to these standards we are able to balance canopy growth with fruit production to ensure that the vine is balanced and can support the right level of crop – we are looking to tax the vine and yet channel enough energy into ripening perfectly formed clusters of delicious fruit.

The second type of training and pruning you’ll see at Medlock Ames comes in the form of cane pruned vineyards.  Our youngest, highest density and steep hillside blocks are typically worked in this fashion.  There are no old growth arms on these vines – and pruning therefore seems far more draconian.  The principle here is that a single cane is used each year to produce the new growth on which fruit will form.  Each year the pruner has to decide which of last year’s canes will be saved to form the entire framework for this year’s crop.  We’ve come to appreciate the control that this method gives us and the resulting quality we find in the fruit.  Instead of distinct growing positions each with its own distinct clusters (as on the spur pruned vines) these cane pruned vines are a single, cohesive unit whose clusters ripen and gain maturity through shared resources.  We’re therefore able to treat the vine as a single unit and balance crop levels accordingly.  What this means is that we think we can gain more uniformity in our fruit using this method as well as the flexibility to make big changes to a vine’s workload quickly. 

The amount of skill and experience needed to make these vintage shaping decisions cannot be overstated.  The hands that make these cuts are the same that shape the vines throughout the rest of the year.  What that means is that everything is done with the knowledge of the desired end-result in mind.  Our team knows that we are looking for acutely balanced and evenly grown vines with small but perfectly matured clusters and they make the right decisions to keep us on track.  We’re grateful for that care, attention and ultimately that vision to know what to do now in order to get the right results in nine months time.  We’re always happy to show visitors how to prune and even let you loose on a few vines – give me a call and we’ll arrange a class!