n 2004,
our second season as grape growers, we tripled our acreage by
planting an additional 15 acres of grapevines, bringing our
total to just shy of 23 acres and 
just
over 42,000 vines. In addition to adding more Syrah, Merlot,
Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc, we planted several whites:
Gruner Veltliner, Albarino and Viognier, as well as very small
parcels of Pinot Noir and Chardonnay which we plan to use for
sparkling wine. Once the vines were in the ground, our primary concern was to build a trellis for
Shoots beginning to emerge
on a recently planted vine
Throughout the fall, we finished building the trellis, and took care of preparations for
A new vine mid-season
During the winter, all of the one-year-old vines (those planted in the spring of 2004) were pruned almost to the ground; we left just two buds on each vine. This practice allows the vines to focus on root growth and development for the first year, and then establish trunks in their second year. Not until 2006, after they have been growing for three seasons, will these vines be allowed to produce their first small crop.
Older vines (top photo);
Newer vines (bottom photo)
The older vines (those planted in 2003), which had already been growing for two seasons, were pruned to allow for a small crop in the fall of 2005. Most of these vines established healthy trunks during the 2004 season and were ready to support a bit of fruit in 2005, approximately 4 tons in total (which translates into 250 cases of finished wine). During pruning, each vine is assessed for how much crop it can support. Some vines were cut back nearly to the ground, and some were left long enough to lay arms across the lowest trellis wire, which holds the fruiting shoots in the coming season. The pruning process gets the vines correctly positioned and ready to start the new season.
The winter of 2004-5 also brought two new additions to Black Ankle Vineyards. The first to arrive was Pearl, a beautiful roan shorthorn cow whom we bought just before the New Year. She settled in well with Ruby and Minnie, our two other shorthorns. We are lucky to have the cows in partnership with the Rhoderick family, 3rd generation dairy farmers and some of the nicest people on the planet.
On the other end of the size spectrum, we were delighted to welcome one more little vineyard worker. Lucinda (Lucy) Wilker Boyce was born on March 25, 2005, and was soon thereafter out and about exploring the vineyard.
Additional photos of the season are below:
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