Generative Agriculture

Our farming techniques are the expression of many years’ research in the fertile cross currents of permaculture, agro-ecology, and biodynamic farming.

Having farmed conventionally for more than twenty years early in our careers, we became convinced that western agronomic theory is not only unsustainable, but also inadequate in its conception of plant health and nutrition. The alternative agricultural paradigms provide the springboard towards a new kind of farming.

Although “regenerative” farming is the buzz word of the moment, the only path forward to a healthy planet is the birth of a new form of agriculture, generative agriculture. This generative paradigm invites modern human beings into a new relationship with their environment. This relationship should be based upon the recognition that humans are part of nature and that any healthy, true form of environmentalism must embrace the role of the human being in participating in, shaping and caring for the world around us.

Our challenge is twofold:  to welcome humans into a new, reverential, healing relationship with nature and to create farms which provide net ecological benefit to their communities and bioregions through the creation of vibrant, life enhancing farmscapes.

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Viticulture

Winegrowing is a wonderful word, for it implies that the object is not to produce the most beautiful vine or grape cluster but to produce the finest wine. There are no substitutes for low yields and careful site and vine selection. We use only natural materials and avoid all commercial fertilizers. Estate produced compost is our “fertilizer” of choice.

Littorai is the pioneer in using “by-the-acre” contracts for those sites which we do not own or lease. Under this system, growers are paid by acreage rather than by tonnage. This ensures that maximizing yield is never our growers’ goal as they are paid the same amount regardless of yield. It also gives us the opportunity to maximize our vineyard control. All of our vineyard partners use only organic materials in our blocks, several have also converted our blocks to biodynamic farming. Today, 85% of our sources are farmed using biodynamic methods and 15% are farmed using only organic materials.

We do not employ farm certification systems as we believe that the true motivation for engaging in sustainable farming practices should not be for marketing purposes but should only be for the good of the land, for the good of those who work it and for the future generations to whom it truly belongs.

Lorenzo & Sergio brew compost tea and pour it into a wine barrel, Organic Wine, Littorai Wines
Picking Chamomile for BD Prep 503, Biodynamic Wine, Littorai Wines
Bulldozer spreading bio-material while staff rakes it into layers to create compost pile, Biodynamic Farming, Littorai Wines
The Gold Ridge Estate, Anderson Valley, Littorai Wines

The Gold Ridge Estate

The Gold Ridge Estate, home to our winery and The Pivot Vineyard, is a thirty acre farm perched on a fog-kissed ridgetop in the Sonoma Coast American Viticultural Area where we farm biodynamically as a self-sustaining, integrated and diversified farm.

The Farm

In 2003, the Lemons purchased a property in western Sonoma County, chosen for its unique potential to demonstrate a different future for winegrowing. The property is modeled on Rudolf Steiner’s vision of an integrated farm. The goal is to produce as many of the farm and vineyard needs on site as possible in a manner harmonious with and respectful of the surrounding environment and wildlife. Eight acres of the property are woods and streams, never to be developed. Fourteen acres are open pasture dedicated to providing a home for the cows, sheep, chickens, ducks and hay which form the basis of our compost. Only natural teas and compost are applied to maintain their vigor. We are re-establishing native evergreen oak grasslands on three additional acres, removing invasive species on two more and restoring Redwood forests to the stream banks.

The Winery

Our winery, completed in 2008, is an innovative straw bale building. This system provides both tremendous insulation and thermal inertia. The winery uses natural night air cooling to maintain appropriate temperatures for the cellars and working areas. It is designed for wine movement via gravity flow to avoid the use of pumps. All water used in wine production is recycled through constructed wetlands in which plants naturally treat and prepare the water for reuse as irrigation water on the property. Solar panels generate all of the power needed for the property.

Littorai winery during construction with scaffolding and haybales, Organic Wine, Littorai Wines
Close up of sustainable winery building made of hay bales, Biodynamic Wine, Littorai Wines
Wooden fermentation vessels in the Littorai cellar, Biodynamic Farming, Littorai Wines
Ted Lemon and Lorenzo racking wine out of barrels, Organic Wine, Littorai Wines