Cabernet on Granite?

[Vincent Fritzsche]

I just happened to buy an '86 Renaissance Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve. More curious than ever to try a real cult wine.

There are several own rooted vineyards here in Oregon, not all predating the discovery of phylloxera. I have no definitive knowledge on the subject, but I'm aware that sandy soils are less hospitable to lice. I've heard winter cold can slow them but obviously that's no cure. I think isolation is the key for most healthy own rooted sites. I wouldn't think oxygen would be an issue at all, unless you were well above where vines could grow. Even then, I can imagine the only things that do survive at high altitude are bugs, but what do I know.

 

[John Donaghue]

originally posted by Jeff Grossman:
Presumably, all the squiggly lines around the winery represents vineyards.

Renaissance used to farm something like 350-360 acres of terraced vineyards, so yup, that's what they are. Most of the terraces have been abandoned, though - Gideon cut the vineyard down fairly dramatically when he became winemaker in order to eliminate poorer slopes/blocks. I don't know how apparent it is on Google maps, but the exposures vary pretty dramatically.