Last year we flattened the old, leaking pond in the middle of the farm and we have prepared the space for what will, in all likelihood be our last planting. We have erected trellises for 2200 more vines and planted these in August.

We are still fairly ignorant of the advantages of the different Pinot clones (there are over a thousand of them) so we have had to rely on the advice of our nurseryman in the choice. Here’s hoping his instincts are good!

The soil of this new area looks very different to that elsewhere on the farm partly because it has been so disturbed that a lot of the underlying clay is mixed in with the topsoil. This will definitely make growing the vines a bit of a challenge but it is going to be really interesting to find out the effects on the wine.