Page 81

South Bay Accent - Aug/Sep 2014

T.J. Rodgers and his wife Valeta Massey strike a pose in front of their store, The Half Moon Bay Wine and Cheese Company. August/September 2014 79 jective for Clos de la Tech—namely, to produce a pinot noir to rival the greatest in the world, the flagship wine from Burgundy’s magnificent Domaine de la Romanée-Conti. Presently selling for as much as $13,500 for a single bottle of the 2011 vintage, this iconic wine is the culmination of a few centuries of greatness. Whether Rodgers’ goal shows inspiration or delusion, Massey has a point when she explains the reason for their winery’s mission: “They’re the best. Who else can be your role model but the best?” Great, spare-no-expense effort has been invested toward this goal, with Rodgers’ winery having adopted many of the French operation’s vineyard and winemaking practices while loosely copying its packaging, label and style. However, the famous French wine doesn’t include a Cypress silicon chip embedded in the neck of most bottles—a Clos de la Tech hallmark. “Putting the chip on the bottle is really labor intensive, but he loves doing it,” reports Massey. “Labor intensive” should be the definition of the entire operation. The cold, fogladen hills where the Domaine Lois Louise vineyard struggles to produce grapes demand ongoing ministrations. Rodgers modified a German tractor so that it could traverse the vineyard’s 35-degree slope— “so damn steep that you can barely walk up and down it,” he says. Running on cables and controlled with a joystick, this invention won an award in Europe for being the most innovative new piece of farm equipment. INNOVATION AMONG THE VINES Ceaselessly reviewing viticulture literature, Rodgers constantly tries out new vineyard techniques. To protect the flowering vines during cold, wet, windy weather, he borrowed an idea from grape growers in British Columbia who use strips of plastic wrap along each row of vines to minimize the effect of flower-destroying conditions. He had done costly earlier experiments that weren’t as successful, such as an electronically monitored portable plastic greenhouse that would have been prohibitive if fully implemented throughout the large vineyard. With Clos de la Tech functioning as a laboratory for his inventions, some impressive results have emerged. There’s what Massey calls “the wonder press,” which sets new standards for gentle pressing and has reduced the winery’s press time from


South Bay Accent - Aug/Sep 2014
To see the actual publication please follow the link above