Page 100 - Southern Oregon Magazine Winter 2015
P. 100
ger David Cellars The Ledger David vineyard near Talent has essentially all east
David Traul & Lena Varner facing slopes, allowing warming of the fruit with morning
sun and then cooling afternoon shade. Kiley Evans, new
winemaker, explains of this orientation, “I think that has a
lot to do with being able to continue to develop flavors and not having
the grapes sugar up so rapidly, which is an issue in southern Oregon.
Without the intense afternoon heat, our sugar accumulation stays rela-
tively steady.” He continues, “What sets Southern Oregon off from
other regions is that our growing season tends to be a little shorter but
also the amount of heat we get in such a short period of time is unique.
This means we get a different kind of flavor profile in our fruit.”
Winemaker Kiley Evans Evans came to winemaking as a sommelier. Since gaining a degree in
viticulture and enology from UC Davis, he’s created award-winning
wines for Abacela, Ledger David (while at Agate Ridge) and Daisy
Creek. Evans came to Ledger David, he says, because of owners David
Traul’s and Lena Varner’s philosophy. “Lena and David have a plan,
and I like plans.” He continues, “I don’t care for the status quo and
Lena and David don’t believe in the status quo.” This is evident in their
vineyard spacing. Standard row spacing is 9 to 10 feet apart. Prior to
Evans’ arrival, the rows were planted at 6 feet, which fits perfectly with
his philosophy. “Instead of having 600 to 700 plants per acre, we have
almost 2000 plants per acre. There’s a huge difference there.” Although
this does require more intense farming because there are more plants
per acre, ultimately, it’s easier to take care of, promotes efficient water
98 southernoregonmagazine.com • winter 2015
David Traul & Lena Varner facing slopes, allowing warming of the fruit with morning
sun and then cooling afternoon shade. Kiley Evans, new
winemaker, explains of this orientation, “I think that has a
lot to do with being able to continue to develop flavors and not having
the grapes sugar up so rapidly, which is an issue in southern Oregon.
Without the intense afternoon heat, our sugar accumulation stays rela-
tively steady.” He continues, “What sets Southern Oregon off from
other regions is that our growing season tends to be a little shorter but
also the amount of heat we get in such a short period of time is unique.
This means we get a different kind of flavor profile in our fruit.”
Winemaker Kiley Evans Evans came to winemaking as a sommelier. Since gaining a degree in
viticulture and enology from UC Davis, he’s created award-winning
wines for Abacela, Ledger David (while at Agate Ridge) and Daisy
Creek. Evans came to Ledger David, he says, because of owners David
Traul’s and Lena Varner’s philosophy. “Lena and David have a plan,
and I like plans.” He continues, “I don’t care for the status quo and
Lena and David don’t believe in the status quo.” This is evident in their
vineyard spacing. Standard row spacing is 9 to 10 feet apart. Prior to
Evans’ arrival, the rows were planted at 6 feet, which fits perfectly with
his philosophy. “Instead of having 600 to 700 plants per acre, we have
almost 2000 plants per acre. There’s a huge difference there.” Although
this does require more intense farming because there are more plants
per acre, ultimately, it’s easier to take care of, promotes efficient water
98 southernoregonmagazine.com • winter 2015
