“You can’t get bored in this business,” is the way Ann Kraemer explains the appeal of her role as the vineyard manager and public face of the family-owned Yorba Wines. Each vine on the 46 acres of grapes she nurtures is “visited by hand” at least 12 times during the year – from pruning until it’s time to pick.
The land is complicated: steep hills face every which way with a lot of variability in soils. Matching the diversity of their surroundings, the grape varietals take root and ripen differently. Every year the vineyard blend, Shake Ridge, presents a different taste of the ranch.
Amid this patchwork of geology and meteorology, one thing that doesn’t vary is Kraemer’s granular attention to detail – adjusting the fruit crop to the right level, fine tuning the light in the canopy, rolling out netting to deter hungry birds. Reviving the tradition of head training certain vines for enhanced air circulation and cluster spacing is typical of the bold thinking she applies to her meticulous cultivation practices.
“We really pay attention to every part of the vineyard, almost treating each vine individually,” she remarks. “That kind of individual attention gives great results,” as the superlative quality of the final product attests. (Four wines made from Shake Ridge Ranch grapes were selected for the wine list at Napa Valley’s legendary French Laundry.)
Kraemer’s career path in vineyard management started with a sugar sampling internship. Originally, she intended to carry on the family tradition growing citrus trees, majoring in pomology at UC Davis. In the vineyard, she discovered an even more intriguing crop to focus on working for a number of vineyards, but the itch to farm her own property didn’t go away.
She spent 20 years scouring wine-growing regions for the right spot. In 2001, she found 216 acres off Shake Ridge Road, about 5 miles up the hill from Sutter Creek. Mulling over why it took such a long time, she lists her challenging search criteria: “It had to be a place I wanted to live in, where I could grow good grapes, and, the big caveat, something I could afford.”
With neighbors to provide helpful tips on growing conditions, Kraemer carefully assessed each of the myriad microclimates herself before making educated guesses about how and what to plant. The varietals she wanted to keep cool went in on northern and eastern slopes; others that can handle heat, like Mourvèdre, were planted in the warmer blocks facing west and south.
Now she grows 12 types of grapes, each selected to suit a specific plot in the vineyard. About 80 percent of the Shake Ridge yield is sold to vintners as far afield as Napa and Santa Barbara. The remaining premium grapes feature four distinct varietals – Barbera, Zinfandel, Syrah, Tempranillo and the ever-changing Shake Ridge blend.
Yorba’s flagship wine? That’s where she vacillates a bit.
“I’d like to say Tempranillo, delicious and classic. But they’re all really, really good. So maybe the Shake Ridge blend.” She compares it to putting together a jazz trio, with high notes, a base and volume in the middle.
“It’s a very fun wine to make, really expressive and really different from year to year,” she says.
The Yorba Wines Tasting Room is open in Sutter Creek from Thursday to Sunday by online reservation. The vineyard is not open to the public as it is a working farm. | (209) 267-8190, www.yorbawines.com
