Alexander Mountjoy - Blog & CV

Many varieties of wine grapes do well in Sebastopol and West Sonoma county, but different ones grow better in different regions.

Pinot Noir likes the cooler temperatures of the Sebastopol hills, whereas Cabernet Sauvignon likes the hotter climate of Northwest Santa Rosa. 

From a friend of mine who’s a viticulturist for a major winery in the area I also learned recently that different grape vines require different amounts of water, which is in large part a function of which type of rootstock supports the “scion” or vine.   “Riparian” root stock spreads out from the base of the vine close to surface of the earth and requires steady irrigation.  By contrast, “Native American” rootstocks go deep and don’t require water. This is why you see unirrigated fields, often old-growth Zinfandel. Once established, wine grapes don’t necessarily need irrigation, if they were designed to survive without it.

A riparian rootstock, with its need for irrigation, has the advantage of allowing you to control the “product”, as they say in the business, meaning the growth and vitality of the vine and hence the quality of the grape through the moderation of water. With native American rootstocks, on the other hand, which don’t require irrigation,  a viticulturist loses this aspect of control.

Plantable vineyard land is currently in great demand in West Sonoma County.  Bare-land parcels of ten acres and up, in Sebastopol, Occidental and Northwest Santa Rosa, that have water and good soil and sun sell quickly.

Wells and water are necessarily of concern to anyone buying or selling country real estate in West Sonoma County. Without adequate water supply, otherwise excellent pieces of land are unbuildable and therefore worth only a fraction of their what would otherwise be their value. For this reason, well tests, which measure the ability of a well to deliver potable water consistently over a period of time, are normally performed when a property is sold, either prior to the listing by the seller or during the escrow process by the buyer. A well test takes a few hours typically, and provides a good opportunity for any party to the transaction to learn about wells from the testing technician. I gathered the facts below from Ray Carlson, a veteran of the well drilling and testing business in Sebastopol, Occidental and surrounding areas of West Sonoma County.

-For a good all around reference for septic, well and water treatment systems look to the book
“Cottage Water Systems” by Max Burns.

-Well pumps are typically of the submersible type, being more energy efficient and, crucially, capable of delivering water from a depth required by most wells. Modern submersible pumps are 72% efficient. Dual pipe jet pumps, a type of surface pump are by contrast only 35% efficient, since they need to push water down before they can bring it up. Single pipe pumps are limited in depth by the physics of the atmospheric pressure. At sea level, this limit is 28 feet. As a rule of thumb, in Sonoma County, we use 25 feet.

-Bucket wells have the advantage of incorporating storage into the well itself. They are typically cased with concrete rings. Older wells are often of this variety.

-Contemporary wells are typically 9 7/8” holes with 5” pvc casing, back-filled with either gravel or sand. The region of pipe that is within the water bearing zone is perforated. The well driller, by a process known as “reading the cuttings” determines by the look of the drill product and the depth the location of the water bearing zone.

-Certified well tests take between 8 and 12 hours and must show a sustainable delivery rate of 1 gallon per minute per connection, that is, per dwelling unit.

I was surprised when I first began to learn about wells in the vicinity of Sebastopol that dowsing remains a trusted means of finding water. When a well is drilled, a dowser–a person who uses a forked stick, balanced in his or her hands, to detect the presence beneath them of water, is as likely to be employed for the job as a geologist. Sometimes both cooperate to accomplish the task.

Gophers are the bane of Sebastopol, Occidental and indeed all of West Sonoma County. They feed on plant roots, and will eat grape vines, fruit trees and just about anything that you might want to grow in your garden. They seldom surface, making them difficult to hunt, and their instinctual wariness makes them difficult to trap. The Russians reputidely withdrew from the area in part because they lost the war against the gophers.

Gophers are solitary creatures: 1 per 40′x50′ square. In order to trap them, you need to identify areas of fresh activity, mounds less than 36 hours old, and also be able to distinguish gopher mounds from those of moles.

Moles are insectivores. They eat grubs, larvae and worms. They travel along just below the surface. They create perfectly round mounds. Gophers by contrast are herbivores. Their mounds are in the shape of a horse shoe, with a plug in the center.