A Brief History of
Bradford Mountain
Est. 1983
1,264 ft · Dry Creek Valley
01
The Terroir
02
Historical Perspective
03
Fred Peterson Arrives
04
Peterson Winery
05
Replanting
06
Viticulture Practices
Peterson Winery
Dry Creek Valley, Healdsburg, CA
A LEGACY IN EVERY VINE
Bradford Mountain Vineyard
High above Dry Creek Valley, Bradford Mountain’s soil and climate produce wine grapes of exceptional intensity and character. With a rich winemaking history that boomed in 1890 and busted in 1930, the mountain is enjoying a 21st century renaissance led by Fred Peterson, an independent winegrower who reveres tradition and sustainable farming.
1,264 ft
Highest point directly contiguous to Dry Creek Valley
650 ft
Elevation above which terrain sits above the summer fog
65M+ yrs
Of weathering behind the mountain's red alluvial clay
The Terroir
Location Matters
Location Matters
Although Bradford Mountain is not an official American Viticultural Area (AVA), Fred Peterson defines the appellation as bounded by Pena Creek to the north, West Dry Creek Rd to the east and Wine Creek to the south and west above the 650 feet elevation. At 1264 feet, Bradford Mountain is the highest point directly contiguous to Dry Creek Valley and juts into the valley. The mountain’s soils are ancient alluvial deposits, remains of a prehistoric sea and subsequent riverbeds pushed up by the clash of the Pacific and Continental plates.
After over 65 million years of rainfall and soil weathering created soils that are extremely well drained, but very nutrient poor. Their red color results from the high levels of iron still clinging tightly to the clay particles after most of the other nutrients have been leached out. The soil is also acidic, and its acidity increases with depth. As a result of their dark color and exceptional drainage, the soils on Bradford Mountain warm earlier in the spring than the valley soils and promote early root growth and most often early bud break.
In the coastal mountains of Northern California, terrain higher than 650 feet sits above the summer fog. The combination of morning sun and warmth allows for photosynthesis to begin earlier each day. On a typical summer day, after the fog burns off in the Dry Creek Valley and the valley warms, upslope breezes cool off the vines on the mountain.
This unique combination of soil and climate produce lower vigor vines that yield less but produce more intense grapes, smaller berries that can be fully ripe yet have incredible balance.
1850s–1930
History
The Historical Perspective
In the 1850s and 60s, early settlers planted the first vineyards in Dry Creek Valley in the deep soils along Dry Creek. By the late 1880s, with the influx of new immigrants and a shortage of available bottomland, aspiring vineyardists looked to the hills for fresh planting opportunities. Many of these immigrants were Italians from Tuscany, drawn to the Dry Creek Valley because it reminded them of their ancestral homeland. The low price of hillside land made the arduous work of clearing the hillsides and developing vineyards very worthwhile.
By the end of the 19th century, considerable acreage of vineyards and orchards were planted on Bradford Mountain. The vineyards, and the wines they produced, were of high quality and commanded a price that made up for the lower yields. Even Prohibition didn’t put a stop to winegrowing on the mountain. Good wine and grape brandy remained in high demand during those times.
Why the creek runs red — Wine Creek, which originates near the mountain’s summit, was named for the illegal stills operating along its banks. When the winter rains began each year, the accumulated residue from the stills washing down the creek caused the creek to run red on its path to the Pacific Ocean.
It was the Great Depression that sounded the death knell for winegrowing on the mountain. The end of Prohibition opened the floodgates for wine production, much of it bad and most of it sweet, which drove down prices of all wine, even the good Bradford Mountain wines. When repeal was followed by the depression, growers abandoned the mountain, unable to make a living. It wasn’t until 2000 that the number of houses on Bradford Mountain equaled what had existed during the 1920’s.
1982–1987
Fred Peterson
An Ideal Match: Fred Peterson & Bradford Mountain
Fred Peterson first laid eyes on Bradford Mountain in the late fall of 1982. He came up from Mount Eden Vineyards to look at a property along with Bill Hambrecht, who was considering purchasing 160 acres on the mountain.
When Hambrecht bought the property, Fred moved to Healdsburg in early 1983 to develop it. They called the property Wine Creek Ranch after the creek that ran through it. At that time, the ranch had an acre of ancient Zinfandel still being cultivated and a couple of decrepit shacks and rusty windmills, along with acres of long abandoned vineyards. As soon as the rains ended in the spring of ’83, Fred began replanting the vineyard and building his home on the mountain.
By June 1984, they had replanted 35 acres of vineyard and Fred finished his house. By 1987, Hambrecht had acquired the adjoining Grist and Tarman Vineyards and Fred found himself farming over 100 acres of vineyard on Bradford Mountain, as well as vineyards in Alexander Valley, Russian River Valley and Anderson Valley.
1987–2000
The Winery
Peterson Winery & Bradford Mounta
1987 was also the year Fred began Peterson Winery at Bill Hambrecht’s central vineyard location off Lytton Springs Road. In 1995, Fred purchased the majority interest in Peterson Winery from Hambrecht and made the winery his main focus, though he did continue consulting for Ridge Vineyards.
Bradford Mountain continued to provide Zinfandel, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Petit Verdot grapes for Peterson Winery’s vineyard designated wines. In 2000, Fred planted a small hillside above his house (what he calls his “Gravity Flow Block”) to a Syrah/Viognier field blend.
2005–2006
Replanting
Replanting: An Opportunity for Change
Having planted the Bradford Mountain vineyard using AXR1 rootstock, which in the late 1980’s was found to be inadequately resistant to phylloxera, Fred knew it was only a matter of time before the vineyard would be in decline. By 2005, the effects of the phylloxera were starting to show and Fred took out all of the vines on AXR1 rootstock after the 2006 harvest. Though disappointed at having to replant, he seized the opportunity to create an even better vineyard than the one he’d planted in 1983.
In the intervening 20 years, Fred had learned a great deal about this site, the soil and how grapevines and their grapes respond on the mountain. His goal was to provide the vineyard conditions to create balanced and healthy vines.
Ongoing
Viticulture
Balanced, Sustainable Viticulture Practices Equal Exceptional Fruit
Fred believes his sustainable farming approach results in healthy vines that produce the best wines.
Sustainable Farming & Soil Preparation
Fred believes his sustainable farming approach produces healthy vines and the best wines. The mountain soil’s low nutrients, low organic matter, high clay and high acid meant young vines took a couple of extra years to establish. Fred did not use chemical fumigation to sterilize the soil. After removing old vines, the vineyard was plowed and old vine roots were picked and hauled away, removing most soil-borne pests and diseases. Before plowing and root picking, he applied 12 tons/acre of organic compost enriched with chicken manure, 5 tons/acre of limestone and 2 tons/acre of mined gypsum. A 3-foot-deep Italian plow incorporated these amendments deeply into the soil, creating a homogenous, ideal environment for young vine roots.
Dry Farming & Water Management
Fred installed drip irrigation for vine establishment, but his goal was a dry-farmed vineyard receiving no additional water beyond winter and spring rainfall. Following the 2010 growing season, the vineyard has received no irrigation. Fred believes dry-farmed vineyards produce more intensely flavored and better-balanced fruit at lower sugars than over-watered vineyards.
Rootstocks
Depending on soil depth and composition, Fred uses relatively high-vigor rootstocks—110R, 1103P, 140R and St. George. He believes their somewhat greater vigor compensates for the low-vigor soil and helps the vines achieve balance with little supplemental water and nutrients.
Cover Crops & Compost
In fall, grasses and legumes are planted as cover crops. Peas, beans and vetch fix nitrogen and improve soil structure, while grasses germinate quickly, protect against soil erosion and add biomass/organic matter. After harvest, compost is applied down each vineyard row to feed the soil and promote healthy cover-crop growth. No additional fertilizer is applied.
Vine Density & Pruning
The original vineyard was planted at 6×10 feet, while the new acreage is 5×8 feet. The extra 50% vine density allows 20% less fruit per vine while still achieving better yields than the original spacing. Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Petit Verdot, Merlot and Malbec are cane pruned. Although cane pruning is more difficult and expensive than cordon pruning, it allows each individual vine to have the right number of buds for its particular vigor and growth.
Zinfandel & Other Varieties
The field-blend Zinfandel, containing a 10% mixture of Petit Sirah, Grenache, Mourvèdre, Carignane and Verdelho scattered throughout the block, is non-trellised and head trained to recreate traditional plantings and keep yields low. Trellised Grenache, Mourvèdre, Carignane and Petite Sirah are cordon-trained and thinned to one cluster per shoot to reduce the crop while increasing intensity.
Taste the Difference
Bradford Mountain is an extraordinary place, with a rich history and a terroir that allows skilled vineyardists like Fred Peterson to coax the best out of every vine. The proof is in the bottle, so try one of Peterson Winery’s Bradford Mountain wines and decide for yourself.