The Palmero Family Vineyard was planted in 1983 by Gerald Cresci on a rocky swale in the Borden Ranch sub AVA of Lodi. The soils are austere: pink granite and quartz. This geology is the result of eons of erosion and probably a major event where an ancient moraine collapsed, violently sending granite (and possibly volcanics) through the geologically diverse foothill metamorphic zone thereby depositing a variety of materials on the valley floor. One can observe similar deposits in several other drainages up and down the valley west of the Sierra Nevada foothills. Western low lying areas of Calaveras County and eastern Clements Hills sub AVA are similar in soil composition to the Borden Ranch area. 

The Palmero Family Vineyard locale is quite warm and the vines naturally crop at about 2.2 tons to the acre. We have 6 of the 13 rows here and we pick the fruit ourselves long before normal harvest time when the laborers are readily available. It makes little sense to hire a crew to pick six rows; the personal satisfaction we get from harvesting this special spot is great, although picking does take quite a while due to the small clusters. It takes a lot more work to pick when the clusters are the size of a golf ball! 

Warm days and rocky soil help create early ripening, small clusters, which brings a concentration of aromas and flavors to the wine while maintaining high natural acidity. This is crucial to making long lived, complex Chenin Blanc. Ripeness and good acidity are sometimes hard to come by in this part of California. This little vineyard, although part of Lodi, is actually within Sacramento County allowing us to put 'Sacramento' on the label. It's a point of pride for us to be able to do that with the special wine that this vineyard produces