Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunter's Campfire Movin' on...The Crow and Bear is For Sale

And a couple of old dogs....

I would really look for better help, if it takes 20 people to work 15 acres some ones doing it all wrong, that or our guys a really, really fast.

I just came back from Napa, and some of that land has an amazing per acre cashflow. Case in point, According to our guide at Mondavi, one vine of Cabernet Sauvignon can yield 4 bottles of wine. Opus one sells for $150 per bottles, or 600 in revenue per vine per year. One of these vines, and the few square feet is sits on prices for about $15,000.

Tells you he is a coward.

I live in "Wine Country",...and way back when this whole ball of ear wax got rolling, asked WTF Spanky's "Vineyard-spurt" was doing planting that place before doing DEEP, DEEP tillage,.....crap, they damn near had to BLAST to get the trellis poles in,....and the cultivars were already in their TINY holes.The ridiculous show put on with the handheld auger was pretty pathetic, and a clear indicator that a LOT of $$$ and effort were being thrown at "step C.",....but steps A. and B. had just been to much of a headache for somebody's "people".

Edited to add,....when a hydraulic auger showed up, and the trellis pole started going into holes, the purveyor of this "Vineyard" started masturbating in public, and leaping around in paroxysms of somewhat ill advised joy.

Fungi LOVE alkali flats, ...poorly drained, and KILL Grapevines.
Takes about 4-5 years for the "Root Rot" to really get to work, though.

Not sayin' that the place didn't have great potential,....but what it never saw was a high track Cat with a big Noble blade or a ripper busting up the deep hardpan,...and creating DRAINAGE.

Whoever's going to cough up hard earned for this ill advised stunt better retain a good soil sampling outfit, and do a few split spoon sample tests down at what's known as the PLOW SOLE,....digging a few trenches for scoping out the SOIL HORIZONS , would not be so worse an idea, either.

GTC

crossfire;
Good evening to you sir, I trust this finds you well on this balmy evening.

It's interesting - for me anyway - to note that we both live so far apart and yet live in countryside which produces excellent wines.

These guys for instance have one of their vineyards just across the road from our driveway - and the winery is a 5 minute walk down the road.

http://wildgoosewinery.com/wines/awards/

The winemaker uses the game pole in our yard when he gets something hunting and has made a habit of leaving a bottle of his work behind on our front step when he does. It's always appreciated of course, as is the notes on the label such as "good big bodied 3x3 mulie" or "3 point whitetail - really fat!".

I too offered some thoughts on the matter when this all began, as the whole vintner thing has become a big deal here and it behooves a local to be somewhat conversant in why that is.

Anyway yes for sure good drainage makes for happy grape vines and up here where we get some spring frosts a bit of a slope to the land is helpful too. Wind machines are employed in the flatter vineyards - mostly with success - but a well drained slope with good sun exposure is a grand beginning to a long, successful vineyard or so the folks who really and truly know have told me.

All the best to you this summer crossfire.

Dwayne

You must be right about the life expectancy age, that's nice.

Evenin' Hoser,

It's become very "chic" to "own a vineyard" out to the West of me, and one CAN get pretty fair vines here on my side of the Huachucas, too.

The baseline is and will continue to be DRAINAGE.

Yeah, you and I both KNOW that working side hills and slopes can be a PITA,...and have been labeled more than once, "sidehill gougers".

A FLAT, basin like hay meadow was NOT the smartest choice for establishing a vineyard.

ANY slope is better than none,....and It's been interesting watching this play evolve.

IIRC correctly, there have been a whole PARADE of manager-spurts retained, and than moved off.

Guess one of these spurts BURIED the drip system,...which pretty much screws up any potential for "Deep Banding",...no ?

GTC

So it appears Spanky is passing this turd onto some poor unsuspecting soul?

Do the math: we have 12,000 vines times 4=60,000 bottles. Our average price is $25.00 a bottle. And our property is nowhere near $15,000 for a "few square feet". And you get an elegant, highend home with a steam shower and a bidet

Bring all offers.

I have enjoyed Opus One on more than one occasion. Better than our wines.

As a buyer of anything I always take it upon myself to be knowledgeable of what I am buying. A poor unsuspecting soul buying about anything deserves precisely what he/she gets IMO.

Being in the irrigation business in Spankys hick town in a third rate state, I know a little about what's underground in our area. As a matter of coincidence, I worked on the property above Spankys a few years ago. Lots of water in the soil. So wet I had to rent a tracked machine to get the job completed. Standing water is very common in winter in Jerome Prairie where they're at. When I first read about this project, that's the first thing I thought, too wet. Spanky has a gentle north exposure rather than the south slope most vineyards choose, and it's pretty flat. There's a hill to the west that might cut the evening sun a bit short.

Hey what do I know about vineyards, but I second guessed the operation from the beginning. I see lots of vineyards in my travels, and it sure doesn't look anywhere near ideal. But like I said, what do I know about them. Just my observations.

What wines?

I take your point Ed, and agree with much of it.

However, if something for sale is misrepresented, many places will call that fraud.

You are not in Napa, and don't have 40 year old vines, so I doubt you can achieve those yields.

Nice math you have there:

1) 4*12,000 != 60,000. Off by 25% you are. Why do I think this could be symptomatic?

Remember this?



And:




I just have to ask, how's it working out for you so far?

Even I, The Great Spanokopitas, make mistakes.

The tasting room is profitable selling our wines.

No we are not Napa but this area is where Napa was 30 years ago.

This is an amazing opportunity to buy your way in at a very low cost.

We are working a deal right now.

I stand by my comment. Hiring a subject matter expert may be needed at times where one lacks the personal knowledge.

How does one ensure they get a good subject matter expert? Do you need to hire a subject matter expert that is an expert at finding you a good subject matter expert?

He's got "peeps"...