Owners Lynn and O’Neal Gray have transformed a 120-year-old hay and cattle farm into an Eden for grapes. While MoonSprings Vineyard® has been established on unmatched viticulture practices, truth be told, it is blessed with some of the finest natural resources in the region for growing grapes. The property’s elevation varies from 960 feet to over 1,600 feet above sea level. The vineyard is planted on and among these rolling hills, which assists in air circulation, temperature control, and regulation of the ripening process. Located on the western side of the Templeton Gap AVA in the Paso Robles wine region, MoonSprings Vineyard® lies in the shadow of the Santa Lucia Mountain Range, separated from the Pacific Ocean by just a few miles. This unique location allows for the “Templeton Gap effect,” a nightly influx of coastal breezes causing a fluctuation in temperatures of 50 degrees or more, ranging from highs during the day of 100+ degrees to lows at night in the 50’s. This natural phenomenon gives the grapes at MoonSprings Vineyard® time to rest in the cool ocean air.
Premium Quality Grapes
MoonSprings Vineyard® is a place where each grape is given time to reach its full potential, never rushed for the sake of production. This “artisan viticulture” is based on the highest environmental standards – where the demand for quality grapes is answered as natural resources warrant.
Upholding the value of sustainability, development of MoonSprings Vineyard® is occurring in phases. This staged approach allows for uncompromised attention to detail. The cultivation of each acre uses 6.5’ x 4’ spacing, steel end posts, a metal stake every few vines, an elevated double drip line, cordon wire, and a VSP trellis system (unless head trained).
Where possible the rows run roughly 38 degrees off true north to ensure every grape is sheltered by natural leaf coverage and exposed only to filtered sunlight. While the tighter spacing is approximately four times as expensive to develop than less dense vineyards and produces fewer grapes per plant – the grapes are of uncompromising quality. Night harvesting ensures grapes are picked at peak flavor, avoiding the risk of over-ripening and damage.
OUR GRAPES
- CABERNET FRANC - 0.71AC
- CABERNET SAUVIGNON - 57.38AC
- CARIGNANE - 3.93AC
- CINSAULT - 0.75AC
- GRACIANO - 1.54AC
- GRENACHE - 11.41AC
- MALBEC - 2.81AC
- MOURVEDRE - 7.23AC
- PETIT VERDOT - 1.63AC
- PETITE SIRAH - 3.13AC
- SYRAH - 28.33AC
- TANNAT - 0.52AC
- TEMPRANILLO - 1.43AC