Issue link: https://read.dmtmag.com/i/764739
6 4 V I N E YA R D & W I N E RY M A N A G E M E N T | J a n - F e b 2 017 w w w. v w m m e d i a . c o m acres yearly, admittedly a costly proposition, overseen by Director of Viticulture Andy Mitchell, who's been at Hahn since 1998. The over- all goal is to increase vine density, boost tonnage and continue raising the bar on quality. The 243-acre Doctor's Vineyard is one of the most celebrated sites in the Santa Lucia Highlands. It's a priceless piece of dirt that can't b e d u p l i c a t e d . Yo u o f t e n h e a r Doctor's Vineyard mentioned in the same sentence as Rosella's, Sleepy Hollow and Pisoni — and deservedly so. Mitchell, who began his career as a table grape farmer in the Cen- tral Valley, also grows estate Hahn fruit for the likes of Bernardus, Tes- tarossa, Pelerin, Siduri, Scheid and Wrath, among others. You'll see Lone Oak and Doctor's on many a vineyard-designate label. The name "Doctor's" stems from Nicky's daughter, Caroline, who, inspired by her passion for horses growing up on the family's ranch, became a doctor of veteri- nary medicine. She holds a Ph.D. from the University of Edinburgh, where she's senior lecturer in vet- erinary clinical neurosciences spe- cializing in equine neurology. P l a n t e d b y g r o w e r S t e v e McIntyre on wide spacing, Doctor's Vineyard takes full advantage of the morning sunshine before the chill maker. He next pursued cool-cli- mate winemaking in New Zealand, where he earned a post-graduate degree. Clifton came to Hahn in 2003 and presently serves as direc- tor of winemaking with assistant winemaker, Greg Freeman. The Lucienne wines, currently at 500 to 600 cases yearly, speak most vividly to the power of the four estate vineyards. The 2013 Lucienne Pinot Noir made of Pom- mard clone from the older and cooler Lone Oak Vineyard, displays Pekoe tea, porcini, fresh strawber- ry and a delightful finesse overall. The 2014 Lucienne Hook Vineyard Pinot is redolent of cedar, baked plum and rhubarb pie, with a finish of cherry liqueur. Baldini says the acclaim for these wines has been amazing. He plans to broaden this category slightly with a focus on higher-end restaurant wine lists. THE VINEYARDS A q u i c k e x c u r s i o n t h r o u g h the vineyards reveals new vines everywhere and others marked for replacement. It also reveals Baldi- ni's unfettered enthusiasm for the heart and soul of every premium brand: excellent vineyards main- tained with loving care. His father was a vineyard manager in Napa. Baldini says Hahn is dedicated to replanting between 50 and 100 of the afternoon maritime breezes, making for an especially long grow- ing season. McIntyre originally planted the lower blocks of the vineyard to Merlot in 1989, adding significantly more Merlot as well as Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc in 1990, with the final 12 acres planted in 1991 to Merlot and Neb- biolo. Over the years, the vineyard was slowly replanted to Pinot Noir with some Syrah and Malbec. The Syrah said "goodbye" as of 2013, and the Malbec waved farewell in 2014, leaving the entire Doctor's vineyard to 14 clones of Pinot Noir. These include the Calera (more like a field selection than a true clone) and Jackson (a heritage clone), which have typically been the star performers in Testarossa's Doctor's Vineyard designates. Te s t a r o s s a w i n e m a k e r B i l l Brosseau, who's been sourcing Doctor's fruit since 2004, says cli- mate change and vineyard age are impacting vine performance, and clonal results and preferences are shifting. Observes Brosseau, "When vineyards are young, they make powerful wines. Older vine- yards aren't making big bruisers." Hence, the crucial replantings. "The SLH AVA has lots of opportu- nity," says Baldini. "We know that, with interplanting, we can grow several tons over current yields and improve quality" — that is, if Moth- er Nature cooperates, which she most certainly didn't in 2015. Looking toward the future, Baldi- ni is bullish about Pinot Noir in SLH. More new clients are purchasing Pinot Noir from them each year. "There's something about Doctor's: Everyone wants it." But theirs is the original, and the Hahn family's name is proudly on it. Laura Ness, aka "Her VineNess," is a wine journalist and critic who judges a variety of wine compe- titions and writes regularly for consumer and trade publications, including WineOh.TV. Comments? Please e-mail us at feed- back@vwmmedia.com. Doctor's Vineyard is one of the most celebrated sites in the Santa Lucia Highlands.