21. Platform Progress
Three weeks ago my Dad joined me out at the vineyard site and helped me mix and pour over 1,600 lbs of concrete to finish creating the footings that will be the foundation for my wooden tent platform.
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20. Vine Visit
I drove over to the Novavine Nursery expansion block in Woodland, CA to check on my baby grape vines.
Read More19. Water Storage! (and also Human Storage!)
Progress is slowly picking up speed in the Davis Mountains. I was lucky enough to have Eilis come out on the last trip and help. Thanks Eilis! Getting ready to finish the big tent and put in the 28,000 gallon water storage tank!
Read More18. Holes...
Last weekend I tested out this Bobcat auger. I need to drill a hole roughly 9" wide and 10"-18" deep for each of the 7,250 vines to be planted in. The good news is that the auger powered through the rocky soil like a champ and was quite easy to control. The not-so-good news is that it is going to take foreeeeeeeever to drill all those holes.
Read More17. I have officially driven a tractor...
(Ok, it wasn't technically a tractor) I was lucky enough to host Lynn Loomis and David Jalali, soil scientists from the USDA, at Alta Marfa for a second time recently, when they returned to describe and analyze the deeper strata of the soil at the vineyard site.
Read More16. Sunrise, 4,000' above the ground!
Soaring above the Davis Mountains, Chihuahuan Desert and Alta Marfa.
Read More15. Alta Marfa Shirts!
Alta Marfa tank tops are in! Send me an email or a text or comment on this post if you want one!
Read More14. Planting Announcement!!!!
About a year from now 7,250 Cabernet Sauvignon vines will be delivered to the vineyard site and they need YOUR help to get situated in the ground.
Read More13. Biggest Party Yet!
A few weeks ago Alta Marfa hosted the largest group of visitors/helpers yet! Seven of us converged for a long weekend from far off and exotic locations such as Wisconsin, New Jersey, Massachusetts and good old Houston.
Read More12. Family Visit!
My parents recently made it out to the Davis Mountains for the first time and were a huge help putting in the first 5 (of 15) concrete footings for the tent platform.
Read More11. Not your average everyday tent...
I am planning to build a wooden platform to put the tent on so it will have a wooden floor. Check out the videos below to see a test run of the tent in the driveway in Houston.
Read More10. Weather Station
It works! . . . Well actually when we plugged it in it didn't work at first. We later found out that it needed a software update and its solar panel was unable to supply enough power due to the fact that it started SNOWING while we were trying to get it to work.
The climate of the Davis Mountains is the reason why I chose to plant a vineyard there and the reason why the Davis Mountains has the potential to produce world class wine.
Read More9. A Very Gravelly Sandy Clay Loam
Soil is an essential part of a vineyard's identity. I recently was very lucky to host three soil scientists from the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) which is part of the USDA.
Read More8. Drone Video!
This video was taken just after sunrise. This was a great day, almost 70 degrees in January. The next day it started snowing though!
Read More7. Time to start Working!
Blue Mountain, Texas Davis Mountains AVA
My first visit to the Davis Mountains as an owner will be in mid-January and much will be accomplished!
Read More6. Alta Marfa Has A Home!
Dont' need this any more!
I closed on the property yesterday! Alta Marfa now has a beautiful 25 acre home. I am so excited to start moving dirt, digging holes and generally just doing things instead of just thinking about doing things.
Read More5. Alta Marfa 2017
Things are moving forward in the quest for water! I won’t give you all the details until things are finalized (there is still a ways to go) but a promising plan is in the works involving lawyers, easements, underground pipes, etc.
Read More4. Patience
“You’ve got yourself a nice 3 gpm well,” he informed me. I instantly deflated, I thanked him for the work and shook his hand. I walked back down the hill and got in my car to begin the drive back to Houston. My immediate thought was, “that’s not enough water.”
Read More3. Water!
Because there is not much rain, irrigation will be key to growing healthy and productive vines. I will drill a well on the property in order to tap into the large igneous aquifer system underlying the region.
Read More1. Now it's real...
Today I signed a contract to purchase 10,875 grape vines for delivery in 2018. Prior to today, everything I have done in regards to this project has just been ideas. Today my adventure transitioned concretely into real life when I signed on the dotted line.
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