Keith Cousins | Napa Valley Register
Dustin Owen said he had driven past Celani Family Vineyards on Big Ranch Road in north Napa for years, unaware that the property held nearly 20 acres of vines and stretched all the way to the Napa River.
While working as a winemaker at a large Napa Valley winery, Owen was connected to Olivia Celani, the daughter of proprietors Vicki and Tom. Celani, Owen said, had been drawn to Napa and the wine industry and had recently taken on the role of director of operations and creative.
The winery had long relied on the expertise of consulting winemaker Mark Herold, but Celani began pursuing the idea of having a winemaker on-site who could be involved in other areas of operations. At the same time, Owen said he was looking to take on a more holistic role in the industry in which he could be involved in everything from farming to estate management.
βWhen I took on the role as the director of winemaking, I immediately noticed that the vineyards had been very heavily farmed using traditional methods,β Owen said. βOver the years, the vines had started showing signs of stress.β
A longtime proponent of regenerative farming β a system of farming principles that rehabilitates the entire ecosystem and enhances natural resources rather than depleting them β Owen began developing a five-year plan to change the way farming is done at Celani.
βThis is like year 0.4 of the plan,β Owen said with a laugh. βWeβre not doing the whole vineyard right away because that can be very impactful. Itβs like completely changing your diet overnight.”
Owenβs plans for Celani coincided perfectly with the February launch of the One Block Challenge in Napa Valley, an effort organized by the Regenerative Viticulture Foundation and Napa Green, through which participating vineyards start pursuing regenerative farming practices on one block of their land.
βThis is an incredible program, and thereβs a lot of interest in it in Napa Valley,β said Jennifer Becker, an adviser with the Regenerative Viticulture Foundation. βWe want to continue to be better property owners and better neighbors.β
On Feb. 12, Celani Family Vineyards hosted the first Napa field day for the One Block Challenge, marking the official start of the challenge in Napa Valley. About 50 growers, winemakers and industry professionals gathered to meet one another and the One Block Challenge team, as well as take a walk through the vineyards and learn how to begin collecting important data on their chosen blocks.
On hand at the event was Caine Thompson, one of the faces of the One Block Challenge. A regenerative viticulture specialist, Thompson oversees 15,000 acres at OβNeill Vintners and Distillers while driving major organic conversions in New Zealand and California.
Thompson told attendees that the mission of the One Block Challenge β to have 10% of the worldβs vineyards practice regenerative farming by 2035 β is deeply personal. His father, he said, died due to overexposure to agricultural chemicals.
βWeβre coming together today as a community,β he said. βLean on the experts while sharing your own successes and lessons.β
Itβs important, Thompson said, to bring the entire winery team in on the benefits of regenerative farming. As an example of promoting this buy-in, he talked about how, over the last few years, heβs done side-by-side tastings at his vineyards, showing everyone on the team the difference it can make in the wine glass.
After walking past a block of the vineyard being actively weeded by a small herd of sheep, attendees gathered at a block with freshly removed vines that were being safely burned in the background.
Napa Green’s vineyard program director Ben Mackie walked them through a series of tests and best practices for collecting soil samples and other valuable data, to be used by each participating vineyard on their journeys toward regenerative practices.
Throughout the demonstration, Jordan Lonborg, the regenerative consultant at Coastal Vineyard Care, chatted with attendees about his own journey with regenerative farming in Paso Robles, stressing the need for a complete change in mindset when it comes to viticulture and what a vineyard should look like.
βYouβve got to push,β he added. βYouβve got to collect data and really get an understanding of what is happening underneath your feet.β
Lonborg also highlighted the value of the One Block Challenge in putting together a community of like-minded wine industry members all pursuing the same goals. Although regenerative farming likely looks very different on the valley floor than on Howell Mountain, Lonborg said everyone can gain extensive knowledge from one another.
βThere are some legends here that have been farming this way for so long,β he said. βLean on the community. There are so many mistakes to be made, and this is such an incredible opportunity to ask questions and learn about some of the mistakes weβve made.β
For Owen, the event highlighted his desire to help build a community of industry professionals dedicated to regenerative farming practices. Having Beckstoffer Vineyards there, for example, which has long advocated for more natural farming practices, was inspiring.
βTheyβve figured out what is needed in their vineyards better than anyone else,β Owen said. βThe efficiency they bring is crazy.β
Owen said he knows the only way for the industry to get to a better understanding of regenerative farming practices is through community and collaboration. He added that he hopes each participant can learn and grow from the others.
βItβs on us to make sure we donβt let this fizzle out,β Owen said.
For Celani Family Vineyards, Owen said the goal is a dramatic increase in the quality of the wines it produces. Although the vintages were already exceptional, Owen said he hopes regenerative practices can add an extra layer of nuance and complexity to the product.
βWeβre doing a bunch of positive things for the vineyard, for the brand, for the community, and ultimately for the wine,β he said.
