The Elms Vineyard

What is planted

The vineyard record lists Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, and Riesling. These are planted varieties; an individual linked bottle may use one variety or a blend.

Soil structure and vine density

Source-recorded ground: Waenga soils on deep schist-derived fan material with loess and calcium carbonate; Lochar schist gravels with thin loess and bands of sandy clay loam. Geology: Schist parent material, ancient lake-bed sediments, alluvial fan gravels and wind-blown loess.

The description contains both coarse and finer material, so drainage and water storage may change between layers or blocks rather than behaving as one uniform soil.

Vine planting density: 2,667 vines/ha in the original blocks; 4,000 vines/ha in Blocks 10–13.. This describes vine spacing, not soil density.

A soil name is not a bulk-density measurement. BottlePicker only shows soil bulk density where a laboratory or modelled value exists. Texture interpretation follows USDA NRCS soil-water guidance.

Growing-temperature requirement

Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, and Riesling: Cool-climate example; typically 1,800–2,500 growing degree days on the °F scale, equivalent to about 1,000–1,390 °C-days accumulated above a 10°C base.

Heat bands use Oregon State University Extension. The OIV climate method treats growing-season temperature as accumulated heat above 10°C, not a fixed daily target.

Site conditions

Elevation: 260–330 m.

Aspect: Predominantly north-facing valley; Block 2 slopes east and Block 6 occupies a steeper north-facing slope.

Irrigation: Applied only when monitored soil moisture requires it, generally during dry late-summer periods.