Our Vineyard
LDV Winery emerged from an undeniable connection to the land and an opportunity to make wines that showcased from where the grapes were grown. None of this would have been possible without finding the perfect spot to grow world class wine grapes. Five key locational factors needed to be satisfied on one location.
Mountain Environment
The vineyard site needed to be at a high enough altitude to create a 30-degree temperature differential between the daytime high and nighttime low. Also, a large mountain was needed to impact the local microclimate. The vineyard location at 5,000 feet above sea level with the 10,000-foot peaks of the Chiricahua Mountains soaring behind the vineyard did the trick.
Pristine and Plentiful Water
The vineyard sets atop the Willcox Playa aquifer which supplies reliable, pure water to sustain the vines.
Superior Air and Water Drainage
The site needed to drain away summer rains and move cold air past the vineyard in the spring. The site lies along the banks of the 600-foot wide Ash Creek which serves as a drainageway for water and air. The vineyard is also planted in very rocky soil which helps quickly drain away moisture.
Volcanic Soil
The violence and heat of volcanic activity creates soils that impart pleasurable and unpredictable characteristics to wine grapes. The LDV Vineyard is in the blast zone of the Turkey Creek Caldera eruption that occurred approximately 16 million years ago.
No Previous Commercial Agriculture
The Vineyard site had to be pristine where nothing had been grown on the property in the last 100 years and no production agriculture nearby. The volcanic and granite soils are perfect for fine wine grape growing and the area is clear of any pesticide drift from other agriculture.
