For Jean-Pierre Wolff, owner of Wolff Vineyards in Edna Valley, conservation and sustainability require more than just being in harmony with nature.
Wolff sees himself as a steward of his land, and he has thus spent considerable time and dollars on everything from protecting historic vines to improving water flow for steelhead trout to creating a turtle refuge and bird sanctuary.
His 125-acre property on Orcutt Road is half wildlife sanctuary, half vineyard. And he believes what benefits Mother Nature benefits his vines, and thus the wines.
“I believe in the principle that wine is made in the vineyard and the job of a winemaker is not to screw it up,” Wolff explained.
And if critical acclaim is a benchmark, the vines from his vineyard have proved his point. His Wolff Vineyards designated chardonnay made by Mount Eden, Wolff said, “was the only vineyard that three times in 10 years was named one of the Top 100 Wines by Wine Spectator.”
And his own wines reflect excellence, with his syrah receiving gold medals in both 2008 and 2009 at the San Francisco Chronicle Wine Competition.
Wolff, 61, and his wife, Elke, bought the vineyard in 1999 from Edna wine-growing pioneer Andy MacGregor. The original vineyard consisted of 55 acres of chardonnay grapes, many of which were already more than 25 years old. Wolff was advised at the time to rip out all the vines and start from scratch.
“But this is an historic vineyard,” he told his advisers. “I’m glad I kept them.”
He added over time an additional 37 acres of pinot noir, along with a smattering of syrah, riesling and teroldego. He also was the first in Edna Valley to plant petite sirah—a variety more apt to be found in warmer climates.
“My neighbors were asking me what I was smoking,” Wolff said with a big grin. “Now they’re the same ones who are wanting to buy the fruit from me now.”
But beyond his passion for wine is his passion for his land and the birds and animals that live on it. He talks proudly about the 27 turtles in the pond he dedicated as a refuge site; the dozens of quail, red-tail hawks and barn owls he depends on to control rodents; and the generations of steelhead trout that can now swim up- and downstream in the creeks he has restored surrounding his property.
The Belgium-born winemaker cringes at being asked if he is organic.
“I don’t want to be certified organic,” he said, “because I’m too rambunctious.”
In fact, that kind of restriction would limit his ability to participate in the many trials he’s involved in with organizations such as the Natural Resources and Conservation Services, the U.S. Department of Fish and Game and the Army Corp of Engineers.
Wolff was also part of the first year trial for the Sustainability in Practice program developed by the Central Coast Vineyard Team. He has been certified now for three years.
Making only 5,000 cases of his own wine each year (he sells most of his fruit to other premium wineries), Wolff is small enough to sell only to the California market, thereby avoiding the costs and time of selling on the road. And he definitely prefers it that way.
“We’re small,” he admitted, “and right now I think smaller is better.”
Name: Wolff Vineyards
Address: 6238 Orcutt Road, San Luis Obispo
Phone: 805-781-0448
Owners: Jean-Pierre and Elke Wolff
Winemaker: Jean-Pierre Wolff
Cases produced: 5,000 a year
Tasting room hours: Daily, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Online: www.wolffvineyards.com
Janis Switzer can be reached at 434-5394 or via e-mail at janisswitzer@yahoo.com.
SanLuisObispo.com is happy to provide a forum for reader interaction, discussion, feedback and reaction to our stories. However, we reserve the right to delete inappropriate comments or ban users who can't play nice. See our full terms of service here.
Here are some rules of the road:
You should also know that The Tribune does not screen comments before they are posted. You are more likely to see inappropriate comments before our staff does, so we ask that you click the "report abuse" button to submit those comments for moderator review. You also may notify us via email at webmaster@thetribunenews.com. Note the headline on which the comment is made and tell us the profile name of the user who made the comment. Remember, comment moderation is subjective. You may find some material objectionable that we won't and vice versa.
If you submit a comment, the username of your account will appear along with it. Users cannot remove their own comments once they have submitted them, but you may ask our staff to retract one of your comments by sending an email to webmaster@thetribunenews.com. Again, make sure you note the headline on which the comment is made and tell us your profile name.
Be the first to know what's going on in San Luis Obispo County. Just tell us how you want to find out — we'll take care of the rest.
Sign up for breaking news alerts from SanLuisObispo.com and get the latest news sent to your cell phone via text message.
By signing up for alerts from this site, you are signing up for a program that may include up to 5 SMS text alert(s) per alert category per day. There is no service fee charged per month but your carrier's standard text messaging and other charges may apply. You may stop this subscription service at any time by sending the text message "STOP" to 72737. You must be at least thirteen (13) years of age to use our alert services. If you are between 13 and 17 years old, you agree that you have received parental permission both to complete the registration process and to receive SMS content on your cell phone. For help, send the text message "HELP" to 72737. This service will work with ATT, Verizon, Sprint, Nextel, Alltell, US Cellular, Cincinnati Bell, Boost, Virgin Mobile USA, Celluar South, Telos, Centennial, East Kentucky Network, Cellcom, Immix and Rural Celluar.
E-mail »
Twitter »
Facebook »
iTribune »
Subscribe »
RSS »
About comments
Reader comments on SanLuisObispo.com are the opinions of the writer, not The Tribune. If you see an objectionable comment, click the "report abuse" button below it. We will delete comments containing inappropriate links, obscenities, hate speech, and personal attacks. Flagrant or repeat violators will be banned. See more about comments here.