Twelve years ago we replanted the Chardonnay block in front of Navarro's tasting room—providing fruit for 56% of this bottling—with a higher than usual trellis so that diminutive Babydoll sheep could remain in the vineyard during the summer, suckering and weeding, but unable to reach the leaves and fruit. In addition to an increased height, we installed multiple trellis wires that guide the growing shoots into an umbrella shape above the fruit, protecting it from direct sunlight. Another 28% of this wine was grown in the lower block of Hammer Olsen Chardonnay—our first sheep-friendly field replanted in 2007—and also in the upper block which was planted in 1996.

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