Chorals Vineyard

Choral's Vineyard

A living testament to nearly a century of winemaking tradition. Discover the story of our 15-acre historic vineyard, planted around 1925, where 7,105 old vine Zinfandel vines create wines of extraordinary character and depth.

Interactive Vineyard Map

Click on each numbered block to learn about the unique characteristics of that section of our vineyard.

Choral's Vineyard Aerial Photo
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Click on a numbered block above to learn more about that section of our vineyard

Each block tells a unique story of terroir, vine age, and winemaking tradition.

15
Acres

Of historic vineyard land

7,105
Vines

Old vine Zinfandel

1925
Est.

Nearly 100 years old

10'×10'
Spacing

Traditional vine spacing

A Century of Vineyard History

1925

Original Planting

Previously known as the Suess Vineyard, Choral's Vineyard was first planted around 1925, establishing the foundation of what would become one of the region's most historic old vine properties. The 15-acre vineyard was planted with Zinfandel on traditional 10' x 10' spacing.

1935-1955

Expansion Plantings

Additional small plantings were established, including a handful of old white varietals, odd reds, and unknown varieties that add complexity to the vineyard's character. These plantings filled out the property to its current 7,105 vine count.

Early 2000s

Subsurface Irrigation

Subsurface irrigation was installed 18" below the soil surface in response to the old vines' struggle with dry farming. While innovative, this system proved challenging due to ground squirrel and gopher damage creating invisible leaks.

2022

New Ownership & Modern Irrigation

Jeremy & Choral Trettevik purchased the vineyard and immediately implemented surface drip irrigation with digital controls. This allows for precise deficit irrigation, giving old vines just enough water while maintaining fruit intensity.

2023

Expert Guidance & Grafting

Under the guidance of Markus Niggli (Markus Wine Co.), the vineyard underwent intense quality-focused test pruning of Block 1. A clandestine grafting mission added Barbera vines to create a unique field blend section, cutting young Zinfandel vines and grafting Barbera buds.

2025

Field Blend Expansion

The field blend section expanded with 36 Sangiovese vines and Carignane, creating a unique block with 30% Zinfandel, 60% Barbera, and 8% Sangiovese. Quality improvements continued through agressive pruning refinements reducing spurs per vine from the typical 12-16 to just 6-8 for enhanced quality and focused vine growth.

Anatomy of Our Old Vines

Hover over different parts of this century-old vine to learn about its structure and the secrets to exceptional fruit quality.

Old Vine Anatomy
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Explore the Vine Structure

Hover over the numbered points to discover how each part of this century-old vine contributes to creating exceptional wines.

The main structure of the vine, growing thicker and more gnarled with age. Our century-old trunks show decades of annual pruning scars that tell the story of careful vineyard management.
The permanent branches extending from the trunk. These woody structures support the year's growth and fruit production, shaped by decades of careful pruning.
Short shoots pruned to 2-3 buds. We've reduced our vines to 6-8 spurs (from the typical 12-18) each for concentrated fruit production and better air flow through the canopy.
The annual growth from spurs that produce leaves and fruit clusters. Each cane typically produces two clusters of grapes, and the young green growth you see here will mature throughout the season.
Each winter's pruning leaves a scar on the vine, creating a living record of nearly 100 years of careful vineyard management. These scars tell the story of our vineyard's journey through the decades.