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to
take advantage of the subtleties of the soils by choosing the
optimum varietals to plant. We were excited at the prospect of
planting a vineyard that could take advantage of our special
location, microclimate and exposure to the northeast, the
southeast and the south. Because the soils in our vineyard are
quite varied ranging from calcareous limestone on the hill tops
to areas with clay and loam near the bottoms of the gentle
hills, we were able to take advantage of the subtleties of the
soils by choosing the optimum varietals to plant. Thus Lock
Vineyard came to life in 1998 with the planting of Cabernet
Sauvignon, Syrah and Zinfandel. In the past year we have decided
to add blending varietals to the vineyard. We have begun
planting very small blocks (1/2 acre to 1 acre) of Mourvedre,
Grenache, Petit Verdot, Rousanne, Malbec and Cinsault to
increase our blending options.
Our
first harvest was in 200 and we found we truly were producing
extraordinary grapes for our winery customers. Starting out as
growers gave us special insight that truly remarkable wine
definitely begins in the vineyard. After Steve won several Gold
Medals for our homemade wines and accolades from friends and
family we decided to "take the plunge" and produce a
limited bottling of Syrah and Cabernet Sauvignon under the 
label
to "test the waters". It seemed a natural progression
for Steve to go from grower to winemaker.
Knowing
the best wines begin in the vineyard, Steve spends a great deal
of time there every year. We use sustained viticulture practices
which involve water conservation, use of natural predators for
pest control and efforts to minimize the use of any herbicides
and pesticides. We plant cover crops in the vine aisles to
promote the development of friendly insects. During the course
of a full growing season we are able to pay individual attention
to the nearly 25,000 vines that make up Lock Vineyard. The vines
are pampered and stressed when necessary to produce the highest
quality of fruit possible given the nature of the terrain and
microclimate we are lucky enough to have.
Over
the course of several years, Steve has had the opportunity to
interact with winemakers such as Matt Trevisan (Linne Calodo
Cellars), Mike Mooney (Chateau Margene) and Scott Hawley (SummerWood
Winery). Thus, when the decision was made to expand the Lock
Vineyard operation to include winemaking, the knowledge had been
laid and friends became consultants.
When
the grapes have reached their peak of flavors they are carefully
hand harvested and the winemaking process begins. Steve handles
all the winemaking duties with our consulting winemaker, Scott
Hawley, overseeing the process.
Having
the control from the vineyard to the bottle insures that
will
remain the truly remarkable wine that it is today.
We
invite you to "Savor the Wine that is truly
"
Cheers!
Steve
and Pam Lock
Proprietors
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