• IMPORTANCE OF…
    • ARTICLES
    • ARCHIVES
  • ABOUT US
    • RAMIIISOL
    • OWNERS
    • CONSULTANTS
    • SUPPORTERS
    • FANS
  • WINEGROWING
    • VINEYARDS
    • TERROIR
    • BIODIVERSITY
    • VINEYARD YEAR
    • WINERY
  • OUR WINES
  • BONDS OF FRIENDSHIP
    • JOIN
    • SCULPTURE
  • LABEL ART
    • LABELS
    • ART
  • RESEARCH
    • BIODYNAMIC VITICULTURE
  • GALLERY
    • PHOTOS
    • VIDEOS
  • NEWS
    • NEWS
    • NEWS ARCHIVE
  • WEBCAM
  • HOME
  • IMPORTANCE OF…
    • ARTICLES
    • ARCHIVES
  • ABOUT US
    • RAMIIISOL
    • OWNERS
    • CONSULTANTS
    • SUPPORTERS
    • FANS
  • WINEGROWING
    • VINEYARDS
    • TERROIR
    • BIODIVERSITY
    • VINEYARD YEAR
    • WINERY
  • OUR WINES
  • BONDS OF FRIENDSHIP
    • JOIN
    • SCULPTURE
  • LABEL ART
    • LABELS
    • ART
  • RESEARCH
    • BIODYNAMIC VITICULTURE
  • GALLERY
    • PHOTOS
    • VIDEOS
  • NEWS
    • NEWS
    • NEWS ARCHIVE
  • WEBCAM
  • HOME

“Ramiiisol shows an amazing collection of different GNEISS stony terroir. The site is extremely well adapted for Cabernet Franc!” – Pedro Parra

Our Terroir

Our Terroir

Robert in terroir

In order to understand the unique qualities and benefits of our terroir we initiated ongoing detailed studies of surface and sub-surface soils led by world-renowned terroir consultant Pedro Parra. As of year-end 2019, we have excavated fifty-five 2- to 3-meter-deep pits to better understand the intricate variation, fracture patterns, drainage, sub-soil composition and deep root patterns of our vines. According to Pedro, “Ramiiisol’s terroir is large to medium decomposed red-oxidized gneiss. The terroir varies from decomposed red alterite rock to superficial very stony gneiss. The differences give the site great variability to explore different wines.” The Ramiiisol mother rock, granite, is “one of the 5 most important families of rock from which all of the great wines in the world come.”

To extend the “ground truth” of our pits over the entirety of our vineyards and their surrounds we’ve also conducted electro-conductivity/geophysical studies interpreted by Pedro. These studies have significantly enhanced our knowledge of the subtle differences within our vineyards. These differences correlate to nuances of what the vines and grapes have been telling us and help us with the timing of each area’s harvest, our work in the winery, and with planning future adjustments to our vineyards to further enhance quality.

Our Topography and Geologic Setting

Pedro and Robert in the vineyard

Ramiiisol is located in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains within a topographically high area surrounded by old growth forests, streams, and rivers.

Hundreds of millions of years ago when the African continent collided with North America, these lands were lifted, thrust faulted and folded to form the spine of America’s oldest mountain chain, the Blue Ridge and its Piedmont where we are located. During these periods of uplift, our underlying geology was formed into complex and steeply dipping, highly fractured slabs of decomposing granitic rocks with an abundance of quartz veins that today form the contours of our vineyards and are the host rock of our oxidized red sandy, silty soils always scattered with lovely examples of crystalline quartz.

Our vineyards are planted on gently sloping hilltops and hillsides that give us excellent drainage in all directions as well as several aspects or slope faces and a variety of exposures to sun and weather. Our underlying highly vertically fractured terrain is conducive for our vine roots to grow deep in search of nutrients and water.

Our Soils

Our soils are formed from the decomposition by weathering of our underlying fractured granitic gneiss bedrocks and are colored red from the oxidation of their iron content. Our topsoils are dominated by silt and silty sand, with varying amounts of clay that balances well with the weathered “alterite” stones of the subsurface. Our grapevine roots grow deep because they are able to work through fractures and feed at each successively deeper horizon below the surface.

  • Vineyards
  • Terroir
  • Biodiversity
  • Vineyard Year
  • Winery
  • HOME
  • CONTACT
  • SAYINGS
  • LEGAL/PRIVACY
Copyright © 2021 Ramiiisol Vineyards, LLC.
We use cookies. In order to deliver a personalized, responsive service, and to improve the site, we remember and store information about how you use it. View our Privacy Policy. Cookie settings ACCEPT
Privacy & Cookies Policy

Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these cookies, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are as essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may have an effect on your browsing experience.
Necessary
Always Enabled

This is an necessary category.

Analytics
Advertisement
Functional
Save & Accept