Soil character is one of the fundamental elements for determining where a varietal can grow; how well it grows there; the structure and flavor profile of the resulting grapes; and more. Essentially, it plays an fundamental part in determining almost everything in a finished wine. Our own estate has two distinctly different areas—upper and lower—due to the river that cut through our property in ancient times, and the resulting distribution of rocks and soil types. Below is a look at the soil profile of our estate, as well as a few other vineyards and regions from which we source fruit.

Upper Rideau Vineyard

The site of an ancient riverbank. Here, we find medium to rapid runoff and medium permeability compared to the lower vineyard, where more rocks have accumulated over the centuries. Our estate Syrah vines are fostered in this soil, where the combination of permeability and run-off are very well-suited to the varietal.

Lower Rideau Vineyard

The site of an ancient riverbed. This soil provides the foundation for our mineral and acid-driven Viognier and Roussanne, as well as our spice-inflected Grenache and silky Mourvèdre. Weathered sandstone and shale abound. The soil is well-drained, but runoff is slow to medium with slow permeability due to the level of rock density.

Zotovich Vineyard

Almost pure sand with nearly no rocks or other hard matter. Drainage is almost excessive as water passes quickly through sand and the root system, but this results in highly-aromatic and delicate Pinot Noir, and, for our program, elegant expressions of Syrah.

Happy Canyon Vineyard

A mixture of loam and clay loam with large interspersed cobbles of serpentine rock. It is very high in mineral content but very low in nutrients, resulting in diminutive vines and small, concentrated grape yields. We source balanced, expressive Malbec and Cabernet Sauvignon fruit from this vineyard.