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2 8 V I N E YA R D & W I N E RY M A N A G E M E N T | M a r - A p r 2 014 w w w. v w m m e d i a . c o m most critically acclaimed wine estates – Black Ankle Vineyards, Sugarloaf Mountain Vineyard, The Boxwood Winery (see the story on page 78), Chatham Vineyards, Stin- son Vineyards, Rosemont Winery and Galer Estate, among others – her belief in the classic European approach of close vine spacing has already had a significant impact on viticulture in the eastern states. "To this day, Lucie is basically the only person outside of the western states promoting high- density vine spacing for the produc- tion of high-quality wines," Chien wrote in an e-mail. "She sees a lot of vineyards in the Mid-Atlantic and around the world, and her global view of vineyards is probably the most accurate anyone currently has … I dare say that she has probably done more to promote high-quality wine production than anyone in the past decade in the Mid-Atlan- tic. The 'Lucie Method' is becom- ing popularized and will eventually become mainstream, or something like it, when Virginia earnestly begins to establish itself as a high- quality wine region. The fact is that like all good cri- sis-management consultants, real or fictitious, Morton's interests of the professors who taught me were exceptional scientists. But what really made the difference was that we went in the vineyards and talked to growers. We were taught to ask questions and to real- ly see a vineyard holistically." That ability to bring unbiased eyes and empirical knowledge to an entire vineyard, and a single leaf, today sets Morton apart. "She has among the keenest observational skills in the vineyard that I have ever known," said Mark Chien, Penn State's viticulture educator. "She sees things that everyone else misses – and I include among that group not just growers, but big- shot academics in pathology and viticulture. If you combine these skills with her dogged, persistent determination to solve problems, then you have a very, very valuable asset in the field." One of the first people to fully appreciate her powers of observa- tion was her mentor, renowned wine historian/author Leon Adams. "Traveling all over the country and visiting vineyards with him was the most critical experience I could have had," Morton remembered. "This was in 1976 or so. I was very young, but I had been taught to really look at vineyards. When he saw the knowledge I'd gained in Europe, combined with my own powers of intuition, he said I had the ability to become the Ralph Nader of grapes. But the problem was that nobody liked Ralph Nader, so I started doing the ampelogra- phy thing instead." NOW MS. ROOTSTOCK, DENSITY PLANTING Morton told me that while her early career may have concentrated on ampelography, her focus broad- ened over the years. "Now I've become 'Ms. Root- stock'," she said ruefully. While there's no doubt that her work with rootstocks is seminal (she is work- ing on a book entitled "The Roots of Fine Wine"), many vintners in the East also think of Morton as "Ms. Density Planting." With a client list that includes some of the East's Morton's impressive client list includes Black Ankle Vineyards in Maryland. Dormant Benchgrafts and Potted Green Vines From Our Isolated Northern California Location. Eckhard Kaesekamp (707)350-1148 23308 Gifford Rd Knights Landing, California 95645 www.knightsgrapevinenursery.com Family Owned. Family Operated. Guarding Against Viruses To Protect Your Future! EAST COAST WATCH MARGUERITE THOMAS