Issue link: http://read.dmtmag.com/i/662797
www.goodfruit.com Good Fruit Grower APRIL 15, 2016 27 888.638.1955 www.cultivaipm.com sales@cultivaipm.com Pomcho can be purchased at your local retailer, contact us for more details. Pomcho is a trademark of Cultiva, LLC. SureSeal is a trademark of Oregon State University. Always read and follow label directions. ©2016 Cultiva, LLC. Vi s i t c u l t i va i p m .co m to f i n d o u t m o re. R E D U C E D E S I CC AT I O N S T R E S S I m p rove p l a n t f u n c t i o n R E D U C E P H YS I O LO G I C A L D I S O R D E R S R u ss e t i n g , c ra c k i n g , s p l i t t i n g , f l e c k i n g , a n d l e n t i ce l m a r k i n g R E D U C E M A R K E T LO S S E S I m p rove p a c ko u t s w i t h q u a l i t y I N C R E A S E P R O F I TA B I L I T Y S U P P L E M E N T T H E C U T I C L E P ro te c t f ro m d e hyd ra t i o n a n d d i s e a s e had trouble getting it on the wire and getting any fruit, let alone quality fruit out of it," Cragin said. It also seems to be the preference for deer, he said. "It's heavily depredated every year, and that doesn't help when we're already struggling with its growth, even with other Cabs nearby." Cragin said climactic and soil conditions — the vine- yards have varying soils and geographic climates — seem to have a bigger effect than any clonal differences. "When we try to isolate the variability of the block for location uniformity, we feel there's enough variability that it hides any evidence of clonal differences," he said. Walla Walla Sadie Drury, viticulturist for North Slope Management, manages multiple vineyard sites that sit at different ele- vations, including 50 acres of Cabernet on six clones. "Site often trumps clone, and clones do vary on site," she said. "But we notice more variation from block to block, based on row orientation, slope orientation, more than anything else." For instance, Clone 8 at Ferguson Vineyard is nothing like Clone 8 at Seven Hills Vineyard, despite just being up the road. And yet it's still that classic clone that all others are compared to, she said. "Mostly, our old plantings are all Clone 8," she said. "If you love an old vines bottle of wine, it's probably Clone 8, and it's probably what sets the bar in Washington." Meanwhile, Clone 6 is the winemaker's clone, not the grower's clone, she said. "It's hard to get good yields; we struggle to get over 2 tons per acre." To deal with that, Drury said they leave more buds — anything to get more fruit — and are increasing nitrogen and water. Clone 191 has produced fruit-forward wines that winemakers seem to love, and Clones 338 and 685 are younger but big yielders, she said. "At the end of the day, we ask ourselves why do we plant all these clones: We want to maximize the site, but I also think it's important not to put all of your eggs into one basket," she said. "There isn't any one clone for any one site. The best wine is from different clones blended together." • TJ Mullinax/Good FruiT Grower Cabernet Sauvignon grapes are mechanically harvested at Cold Creek Vineyard south of Mattawa, Washington.