Issue link: https://read.dmtmag.com/i/705606
w w w. v w m m e d i a . c o m J u l y - A u g 2 016 | V I N E YA R D & W I N E RY M A N A G E M E N T 9 9 sack for $5. It gave me the entre- preneurial bug. From 1979 to 1984, I took all the viticulture classes I could at UC Davis. During that time, I start- ed a vineyard company with some partners. We started in 1981 by converting a hops field in Russian River Valley to Pinot Noir and Char- donnay grapes, a project with Piper Sonoma. The company grew and we sold it after 10 or 12 years. I took a short break after that, then started buying vineyards in Napa. resources are strained, the future is now being contested between those who see limits and those w h o d o n 't . T h e f u t u r e c a n b e bright if we uphold the tenants of the Ag Preserve and subsequent zoning regulations, which have allowed both the unincorporated and incorporated areas to flour- ish by dividing the duties (urban uses such as residential, hotels, restaurants and so forth in town vs. farming, grape processing and managing visitor flow to wineries in rural areas), so to speak. This tension has existed since before 1 9 6 8 's A g P r e s e r v e . N o w, t h e visionaries of that era are near gone and a new population needs to be educated on why an agricul- tural area on the border of a mas- sive urban center still exists. The exciting aspect is that dedicated open space is the largest land use in Napa — much more than 100,000 acres of public land. [ V&WM ] What was your inspi- ration to purchase and plant vine- yards? [ TG ] I knew I wanted to be in agriculture from an early age. My dad would take me out as he worked the farm and I'd absorb what was happening. We had a lot of walnut trees and I'd pick and sack them, then sell each 25-pound I now have 175 acres planted or being replanted. [ V & W M ] W h a t 's h a p p e n i n g now with the winery and its sur- rounding vineyards? [ TG ] We're putting the finishing touches on the winery and replant- ing some of the vineyards along- side the Cairo block of Cabernet Sauvignon, which was originally planted by the Lincolns. Behind it are Cabernet Sauvignon and Caber- net Franc. In front [if facing south] is Merlot and Petit Verdot. The Gamble vineyard (where the Heart Block Sauvignon Blanc is grown) is nearest my home [which lies east of the winery], is about 12 acres of Sauvignon Blanc [Musque and Preston clones]. The crop loads there are reduced more than the adjoining Sauvignon Blanc vineyard, which is on the other side of Conn Creek [also going east]. All together there are about 22 acres of Sauvignon Blanc. The vineyard is bound on the west by the Napa River and on the east by Conn Creek. [ V&WM ] What type of technol- ogy do you use in the vineyards? [ TG ] We use Ranch Systems controls for weather measure- m e n t s , s o i l m o i s t u r e , m i l d e w pressure and evapotranspiration. Irrigation is operated by remote + Birthplace: Napa Valley, Calif. + Current Position: Owner/Farmer + Professional Background: Gamble's first business venture into farming was in 1981. To this day, he holds no professional degrees or licenses. He says his farm managers now enjoy the privilege of keeping up with PCA (Agricultural Pest Control Applicator), FLC (Farm Labor Contractor) and all of the other lovely licenses required to farm. + Education: He studied viticulture and agriculture economics at UC Davis from 1979 to 1984. In 1984, "I chased a girl to UCLA and got a degree in English. I lost the girl…ahhh youth!" he says. + Personal: Gamble is married to his wife, Colette. "We live a fairly low-key life, which suits us farmers well. In our rare time off, we enjoy our land in many ways with friends and family, which includes a dozen nieces and nephews. Hopefully, some of them will take up the mantle," he says. TOM GAMBLE'S RÉSUMÉ The Gamble vineyard is planted with Sauvignon Blanc.