THE BRANDER VINEYARD

Established in 1975, the Brander Vineyard is one of the oldest in the Santa Ynez Valley appellation. The vineyard is about 40 acres and is mostly planted to Bordeaux varietals, which relish the warm days and cool nights. The vineyard is a beautiful patchwork of 13 acres of Sauvignon Blanc, 10 acres of Cabernet Sauvignon, 6 acres each of Merlot and Chardonnay, 3 acres of Cabernet Franc and 2 acres of Semillon.

The soils in the vineyard are gravelly and consist of a fine sandy loam over clay subsoil. The older part of the vineyard is planted on its own rootstock with the wider spacing that was popular when the vineyard was planted, resulting in about 602 vines per acre. The replanted part of the vineyard includes the new SO4, 3309 and 5BB louse-tolerant rootstocks, and has tighter spacing to stress the vines a bit, and features 2,400 vines per acre. Both cane pruning and cordon pruning methods are employed, depending upon the varietal and age of the vine. The vineyard is managed by John Kryska, and overseen by owner/winemaker Fred Brander.

The vineyard generally yields about 3-4 tons per acre, or about 8,000 cases of wine per year, most of which is Sauvignon Blanc. Total production is about 5,000 cases of Sauvignon Blanc, 2,000 cases of Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot and 1,000 cases of a proprietary Bordeaux blend, called Bouchet, all from the estate vineyard.

Biodynamic Farming

The Brander Vineyard has begun to embrace the principals of Biodynamic farming, initiated at the beginning of the twentieth century by Austrian philosopher, social thinker and architect Rudolph Steiner. The name Biodynamic was originated using two ancient Greek words, "bio" meaning life, and "dyn" meaning force, or referred to as life-forces.

The philosophy behind Biodynamic Farming is to create a healthy ecological and sustainable farming system that works harmoniously with nature, particularly with the movement and alignment of the planets and stars. The crux of Biodynamic Farming is to respect and encourage a natural balance of plants, insects, animals, and micro-organisms while employing an organic farming method.

Fred Brander is now taking more holistic approach to farming by rejecting the use of pesticides, herbicides and synthetic fertilizers, using only natural sprays and organic materials to create a life-giving system in his vineyards. He applies horn manure (BD#500) to promotote root activity and to stimulate microbiotic life in the soil. The vine canopies are sprayed with horn silica (BD#501) to enhance light and photosynthesis for the plants. Herbal brewed teas, also referred to as liquid manures, made with yarrow, nettle and horsetails help to stimulate plant growth and suppress potential plant diseases. The Brander Vineyard is boarding family for a small flock of chickens and a few roosters. Chickens naturally help to control insects in the vineyard and their eggshells are almost pure calcium carbonate, a great component to add to your garden.

Biodynamic farming ensures healthy soil and vines, using no chemicals or pesticids; creating wines with elegant tannins and heightened aromas and flavors.