Caduceus Cellars Eliphante Block, Cornville AZ

In early 2012, just outside of Cornville, AZ, we planted 30 acres on what we refer to as the Eliphante Block. Here we have mostly Italian clones, with a few Spanish and French as well.

Varietals & Clones

AGLIANICO -> VSC & Nagual de la NAGA
BARBERA -> Le Cortigiane ONESTE
CABERNET FRANC -> ANUBIS
CABERNET SAUVIGNON -> ANUBIS
CHARDONNAY -> DOS LADRONES
DURIF -> PRIMER PASO
GRENACHE NOIR/GARNACHA -> AIRAVATA
GRENACHE ALBAN -> AIRAVATA
MALVASIA BIANCA -> DOS LADRONES
MERLOT -> VSC & Le Cortigiane ONESTE
MOURVEDRE BUHL NORTE -> VSC & Nagual del AGOSTINA
NEBBIOLO -> Lei Li Nebbiolo Rosé
NEBBIOLO -> Nagual del PACIENCIA
NEGRO AMARO -> VSC & Nagual de la NAGA
SAGRANTINO -> VSC & Nagual de la NAGA
SANGIOVESE -> VSC & Nagual de la NAGA
SOUZAO -> VSC & Nagual de la NAGA
SYRAH -> PRIMER PASO
TEMPRANILLO -> SANCHA
VERMENTINO -> Nagual del AGOSTINA white

Acres under Vine

30

Elevation

3400'

Avg Yield Per Acre

1.5 - 3.0 tons

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.

Climate

Precipitation 11.8"
Temperature - Average Summer Highs 96°
Temperature - Record High 118°
Temperature - Average Winter Lows 28°
Temperature - Record Low
Average Date of Bud Break 3/17 - 4/14

Cart

Your Cart is empty

Shop Wines