Roullard Vineyard
Geoff & Margaret Roullard’s interest in growing grapes and wine making in Nevada was initially piqued by Bill Coplin. “Bill generously allowed us to prune, weed and ultimately, harvest, his vineyard in West Washoe Valley in 2019”, said Geoff jokingly. Then, under the tutelage of Joe Bernardo, we developed an appreciation for the process of grape growing and wine making here in Nevada
Geoff and Margaret planted 152 vines in their initial vineyard in 2018, with the rows running East-West in ameliorated decomposed granite soil. Varieties include Chardonnay, Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Merlot, Pinot Meniure and Zinfandel. The rows are 7’ apart, vines are spaced 5’ apart and bilateral cordon spur trained utilizing a drip system on timer. The first (2020) the vines received 2 gallons of water every other day.
In 2020, we harvested 488 pounds (total) ranging from 24 to 26 brix. The started harvest in mid-September with Pinot Meniere and concluded with in mid-October. The other varieties were spaced out approximately a week apart. Fermentation in 2020 was experimental – we played around with different yeasts and mother nature provided some different temperatures for the wine to ferment. The crush, stem and pressing were done with small scale equipment and the grapes were all uniquely savory and distinctive. We are looking forward to blending in the future and developing wines that appeal to our tastes for the differing varieties.
