Grafting with Salvador Precido

On our Glen Ellen estate, we inherited something exceedingly rare: an old-growth vineyard populated exclusively by a 1940 planting of Zinfandel vines. We wanted to keep the longevity of this vineyard alive and breathe new life and a fresh perspective into this historic vineyard.
With the help of long-time family friend and legend in his own right, Salvador Precido, we grafted over some of the vines to Mourvèdre, Carignan and Petite Sirah. Grafting is a practice used in vineyards where two plants are joined into one. A notch is cut into the stem or rootstock of an existing vine - in our case, into the 80-year-old Zinfandel vines on our estate - and another stem or 'scion' is added to it and wrapped with tape until they grow together. Different varietals can be grafted together, and the scion will be the varietal that produces grapes.