The clearing of the additional 10 acres started in the spring of 1996 with the removal of over 150,000 board feet of fir, which was cut and trucked to a Oregon lumber mill.

The use of cover crops is crucial for soil conservation on hillside vineyards like ours. Napa Valley has some of the strictest regulations in the country when it comes to hillside planting. Here we chose to use a blend of natural meadow grasses that develop a good root base quickly.

After disking down the tall grasses from the long winter's growth, staking and planting of the new vineyard was the next step. During the spring of 97, Steve and Linda Sherwin, along with their three children and a crew of six men, pounded in over 3700 grape stakes then planted the same number of vines by hand, (Steve's family is just starting to talk to him again).This will allow the plants to establish their roots so they can obtain the proper nutrients for their growth and also survive the long cold dormant period in the winter.
During the winter a grapevine can survive in the harshest conditions; they are virtually indestructible, so the snow has no effect on them, and also they have been known to survive weeks, if not months under water.