Geology

Eliphante block is a white silt limestone and cobble site. Lenses of Caliche, hidden from sight, swell and recede within the buried substrate as the Lower Oak Creek snakes it’s way around the 30 acre Holocene river terrace. House Mountain, only a stone’s throw away, affords a visual narrative of volcanic influence on this site’s geologic past. (For the geeks- A multifaceted site characterized by terraces, alluvial fans and rough terrain. The lower and middle sections of the vineyard have two distinct profiles for establishment of the vine’s root system. An area underlain by 4-foot-deep, uniform, very fine, reddish variant, sandy loam, originating from sandstone, is able to hold moderate amounts of water for vine growth. Below the surface in the middle area, beginning at the 20” depth, white lenses of varying thickness appear. The carbonaceous accumulation is buried residuum of weathered limestone which is seen outcropping higher on the surrounding hillsides. Subsurface limestone fragments and cobbles are recurrent features throughout the middle and upper zones. Upper elevations contain a mere one foot of stony loam soil before encountering bedrock.).

Main Challenges/Threats

Spring frost, High wind, Extreme summer heat, Monsoon rains from veraison through harvest.