Porter-Bass

Dirck and Sue Bass, discovered this neglected vineyard from the previous century in 1980 and began the long, laborious task of revitalizing and replanting it. Years of farming had eroded the soil to the point where only poison oak and blackberries could thrive there. In 1984, they replaced 16 of the 17 acres to Chardonnay and Zinfandel, retaining just the most robust plants. They  started replanting some of the blocks that had been infected with a fatal virus to Pinot Noir in the year 2000. It was possible to achieve a better ecological balance between the vines and their surroundings through the use of more compact row spacing, reorienting the rows to run north to south, and the careful selection of rootstocks and clones of different grape varieties. Learning at Porter-Bass, Luke Bass the child of Dirck and Sue Bass was taught  how to make wine by watching them do it. Luke's  first job after finishing college in 1997 was harvesting grapes at Flowers Winery. Luke  experienced the joy of creating wine, and it has become a passion of his ever since. In 2001, Porter-Bass released its first vintage of wine, 175 cases of estate Zinfandel. They currently produce about a thousand cases of estate wine annually.