Suddenly It’s Grapes

One of the many fun things about being an agent is getting to participate in whatever possibilities that someone might be exploring on any given day, so when a request comes in for something outside my expertise, I like to open it up for exploration. 

Last week, this took the form of an inquiry on one of my listings in the Santa Cruz Mountains which had previously been set up as a licensed cannabis farm, but with the recent downturn in that industry the location is no longer viable for its former use. The interested party has the idea to convert it to a vineyard, and asked if the location’s elevation and geography would be suitable for that use.

My fallback response: “I don’t know, but if you give me five minutes, I will find someone who does know and let’s hear what they have to say about it.” 

I started my query with a quick AI search get the following initial primer on the topic:

The Santa Cruz Mountains appellation's elevation ranges from a low of 400 feet on the coastal side to a high of around 3,000 feet or more on the ridge crests. The elevation varies significantly across the region, influencing the microclimates and resulting in a diverse range of wines. 

• Lowest elevation: Approximately 400 feet on the western slopes facing the Pacific Ocean. 

• Highest elevation: Vineyards can reach up to 2,600 to 3,000 feet or higher along the ridge tops. 

• Other elevations: The eastern slopes, facing away from the immediate coast, range down to about 800 feet. Some specific vineyards are located at elevations like 2,000 feet or 2,100 feet.

To get a deeper level of granularity on the specific property, I then reached out to local expert Mikael at Wargin Wines, who already consults and manages several vineyards for multiple clients in the area and offered up the following: 

At 2600 feet the property is above the fog line and will have longer hang times, which is good for Zinfandel, Petit Syrah and Cab Sauvignon. The elevation is ideal for Bordeaux style wines and wines with higher tannins in general, which tend to command a higher price than other varietals.

From what he sees out there these days, a grower can typically get $3K-$4K per ton for Cabernet grapes and yields will typically run 10-15 tons on 10 acres, but can be up to 20 tons on a good year. For setup, planting costs can run upwards of $30K per acre in the mountains, depending on terrain and it will require several years to get the vineyard operational. He let me know he can either consult or manage operations as needed and offered his availability to come out to assess in person if the level of interest turns more serious.

I went on to send the client topo maps of the property, along with details on the water system, the roads and the solar power supply and they let me know they would get back in touch with me after reviewing.

And while I am still not an expert on grapes, I now know a little bit more than I did before.