Finally It's Adieu to Chlorpyrifos: 1 in 20 Acres of California Vines Will No Longer Be Sprayed with Neurotoxin Related to Nazi's Nerve Gas

Raise a glass to the sunsetting of chlorpyrifos, one of the most dangerous agricultural chemicals that was used for decades on wine grapes (and other crops). 

In California, its use on agricultural crops came to an end Dec. 31, 2020.

Now the EPA has finally forbidden the use of chlorpyrifos in agriculture nationwide. It was already banned in the EU earlier in 2020.

Still, it's shameful that it wasn't banned earlier, despite many attempts by scientists, pediatricians, the medical community and public health officials. It was on its way out the door when Trump prolonged its use by overturning attempts to ban it during his administration.

Yet what's most shameful of all is that it was ever used and then continued to be used on California vineyards. In 2018, the most recent year in which California released aggregated pesticide use data, the state's wine grape growers used 52,902 pounds of it on 28,822 acres.

WWI-WWII: GERMANY'S WEAPONIZATION OF AGRICULTURAL CHEMICALS

In World War I, the Germans established chemical warfare by introducing mustard gas, a breakthrough chemical weapon, against the British, killing as many as 20,000 in the first six weeks it was used on the battlefield. This success led the Germans to continue to develop chemical warfare. 

The Nazis took developing organophosphates as chemical weapons to new heights in World War II, enhancing work done in 1936 by Gerhard Schrader, a pioneer in organophosphates used as systemic insecticides in agriculture. His discoveries of the deadly nerve gas Sarin and the toxic organophosphate Tabun gave Germany a huge advantage in chemical warfare.

Schrader in his lab, I. G. Farben (photo: Bayer Archives)

In Germany, Zyklon B [not an organophosphate], which had been invented in the 1920s, as a pesticide and delousing agent, became the most famous chemical in World War II. When the Nazi's came to power, they turned the deadly gas on the Jews in Nazi concentration camps.

Tabun was used on Jewish prisoners as well as hundreds of Schrader's other compounds.

Germany's chemical warfare in World War II wasn't the end of the story, though, as Sarin and Tabun have continued to be used, most notably in Syria.

ORGANOPHOSPHATES IN PEACETIME 

Schrader discovered malathion, which was also used in agriculture.

After World War II, German manufacturers and others returned their attention to the use of organophosphates in ag. 

Excerpt from von Hippel's The Chemical Age

When the most famous post war insecticide, DDT, which worked so well against malaria, turned out to be more toxic than had previously been thought, Dow Chemical launched chlorpyrifos, an organophosphate insecticide [not a systemic] in 1966. It was created as an alternative to DDT and became widely used and well known under the product names Lorsban or Dursban.

(To anyone interested in reading more about the historical development of these chemicals, I recommend Frank von Hippel's excellent and fascinating 2020 book The Chemical Age, published by UChicago Press, which presents a compelling, detailed history in several chapters of the main German and Nazi personalities and their competitive races to become the top dog scientist. The book details the interconnected strands of Germany's agricultural pesticide and chemical weapons research.)

A DEAD END

But chlorpyrifos, too, was soon found to be highly toxic and years of research have only shown more and more severe impacts on health.

These have been published over decades in peer reviewed medical studies, linking the chemical to declines in children's brain health and increased risks of cancer, Alzheimer's and Parkinson's.

In a pesticide hair testing study of 150 people, conducted in Europe by the Green Party, chlorpyrifos was found in 10% of the people tested. (It can be eliminated by eating an organic diet.)

Groups of medical and scientific professionals–including the American Academy of Pediatrics and the National Academy of Sciences–have called for it to be banned since the 1970s.

CALIFORNIA AND CHLORPYRIFOS

So in order to grow wine grapes, 52,902 pounds of chlorpyrifos was still used in 2018 despite its significant and known impacts.

As recently as 2015, in Sonoma, Gallo sprayed 147 gallons of it on 400 acres at Two Rock on Gina Gallo's favorite Chardonnay vineyard. 

Kendall Jackson used 16 gallons on 13 acres on Brown's Lane in Petaluma.

Sonoma Cutrer sprayed it on 100 acres in Sonoma County in 2017.

2018: Hot Spots 

The state agricultural pesticide map lets us take a look at where chlorpyrifos was most intensively used in 2018 (the most recent data the state has made available). Here are some of the hot spots, generally located along the spine of Route 99, running through the heart of the Central Valley, supplier of supermarket wines to the nation.

Lodi

Bakersfield

Certified Sustainable Wines May Be Grown With Chlorpyrifos

Even more shocking is that a bottle of Certified Sustainable Wine from the CSWA can still be grown with chlorpyrifos today if it's used during the winery's first year of certification. For vintages before 2017, there were no restrictions on its use in "certified sustainable wines."

Though sales of it are banned in California, it could be obtained (until the EPA ruling now) in other states.

Groundwater Contamination

As I wrote in a previous post here, "All this comes in the wake of epidemiological studies released in 2009 showing rural Californians drinking private well water in Tulare, Fresno and Kern counties had an 82% increased chance of getting Parkinson's due to chlorpyrifos being used in their areas."

Now, at long last, there will be a law against it.

UPDATE

*August 30 editor's note: Portions of this post on pesticide history have been revised and updated with specific citations in response to reader feedback asking for more details. 

The original version contained an error regarding Zyklon B; Zyklon B is not chemically related to chlorpyrifos (as has been incorrectly reported in other articles on the Internet), since it is not an organophosphate insecticide, and this has been corrected. 

New text was added on pesticide history to provide a broader context for the development of this class of chemicals and to provide more background on the linkages within the German and Nazi era development of these chemicals. 

Germany's leadership in the early and mid 20th century led it to become the giant that it is today in pesticide industry. The latest advance of this cultural and scientific movement was Bayer's 2018 purchase of Monsanto (and Roundup), which has mired the company in financial and internal leadership battles, after the merger was completed under intense scrutiny.  According to the Wall Street Journal, this was "one of the worst corporate deals."

Argentina's Domaine Bousquet Going Biodynamic and Seeking B-Corp Certification

In an online webinar attended by 25 wine writers today, Anne Bousquet of Domaine Bousquet announced the company's plan to certify its 618 acres of estate vineyards biodynamic. That puts it in the running to be the largest biodynamic vineyard owner in Argentina and the second largest in South America. 

Bousquet also said the company would further expand its organic imports into the U.S. and will launch an educational site on organics before the end of the year. 

The winery is located in the Uco Valley, where Bousquet's father bought land after visiting Argentina on a vacation trip in 1990. The family is originally from France.

Bousquet also announced the company's intention to obtain B Corp. status.  

The winery recently added Pinot Noir to its portfolio as well as no added sulfite wines, Virgen, that meet USDA Organic Wine standards. It's expanding that line this year, adding Chardonnay and Cabernet Sauvignon to the Virgen lineup. However, most of the wines meet the "Made with Organic Grapes," which permits low amounts of sulfites.

The company also produces boxed wines at a cost of about $5 per "bottle."

Climate change is evident in the region. The winery's water comes from runoff from the Andes, which are not white now, which is the winter season, Bousquet said, anticipating water shortages in the next growing season. The winery uses a closed network of water and a drip system to maximize efficient water use.

In a previous press release the company also announced its new import line, Origins Organic Imports:

For the two entrepreneurs, launch of Origins Organic Imports follows on the significant success of Domaine Bousquet. In 2018, Domaine Bousquet sold around 60,000 cases. In 2019, that figure climbed to 112,000 cases (+ 87%). In 2020, Domaine Bousquet recorded sales of 181,000 cases, (+62% over the previous year). Domaine Bousquet is now the largest organic wine brand from Argentina, Argentina’s second fastest-growing brand of wines, and ranks among the top five organic wine brands sold in the United States.

Driving that success are three main Domaine Bousquet wines: Malbec Premium (+33%), Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon (+130%), and Domaine Bousquet Charmat Sparkling White (+87%), joined in 2019 by Domaine Bousquet’s Virgen collection of USDA certified-organic wines (+28%), plus 43,000 cases of the company’s new-to-market 2020-debut Natural Origins box wines.

Former economist Bousquet credits the success to a long-term strategy finally bearing fruit. “We started our import company in 2014 and it took five years to build those strong relationships with distributors. Now we are able to offer that benefit to other producers around the world.”

See My Article in Daily Seven Fifty: "Why Organic Winegrowing Can Be More Profitable than Conventional"

This spring, I pitched Daily Seven Fifty editor Kristen Bieler several story ideas. She went for none of them, instead asking me if I would write about organic farming costs in the wine world.

Okay, I said. 

Hours of wonderful, scintillating interviews later, here is the article published today.

It wasn't easy to write the story of organic farming costs in 2,000 words. My first draft was 4,000 words. How could it not be hard to compress all this after heinterviewing a who's who of organic wine growing experts? They have so many interesting things to say, so much knowledge to share. (There's a book here, I know it.)

My thanks go to all of them. I only wish they all appeared at a conference together, on Zoom, so you could hear and see all of them.

1. Dave Koball, Noble Vineyard Management

Former Bonterra vineyard manager, now a sought after vineyard manager and consultant in Mendocino and Sonoma counties for Noble Vineyard Management. 

2. Steve Matthiasson, Matthiasson Wines 

A go to guy in Napa on all things organic. A plus: he once worked (for four years) in the Central Valley and understands the economics and viticulture there, too (as well as in Lodi, where he helped write Lodi Rules). 

3. Mark Neal, Jack Neal & Sons Vineyard Management 

Organic vineyard expert par excellence Mark Neal says he's converted more vineyard in Napa to organic than any of his peers. I believe him. He currently farms his own family's two estates as well as Demeine Estates' 550+ acres of organic (soon to be biodynamic) vines. (He credits his Cretan mother and grandmother for instilling in him a tradition of planting by the moon.)

4. Luca Brillante, Fresno State

Italian born Brillante is the Fresno State professor assisting Fred Franzia with his 8,000 acre organic vineyard conversion project. That is one very big pilot project. He is also doing research on organic products to combat mealybugs under a grant from the American Vineyard Foundation. Kudos to AVF for funding organic research.

5. Pam Marrone, Marrone Bio

Does she need an introduction? She's created many biologicals that combat vineyard pests and diseases. Ecofarm, the organic farmers organization, gave her its highest award, but her products are used by more conventional customers than organic, which shows you how good they are. Next up: organic herbicide. It's in EPA review.

6. John Roncoroni, UCANR Emeritus  

The go to weed control guy in Napa and elsewhere, who is finally enjoying time off, since he retired. (But not entirely.) He has generously educated me, for better or for worse, on the finer aspects of his craft.

7. Cristian Rodriguez, Emiliana

CEO of Chile's Emiliana, he oversees production of more than 1 million cases of organic wines for export. Though Chile has 60+ organic producers, Emiliana alone produces 60+ percent of Chile's organic wine output. Though few in California know it, its Natura wines are the second biggest organic brand in the US.

8. Robert Eden, Chateau Maris

British born Eden's a long time organic and biodynamic champion in the Languedoc in France. 

9. Magali Delmas and Olivier Gergaud, Wine Economists

These two teamed up on several studies on wine scores and eco certification. I wrote about their most recent one here. New in today's article are some of the findings from Gergaud's study with Vignerons Independent, showing that organic and biodynamic growers have an edge when it comes to profitability and business satisfaction. 

Hopefully the article checked a lot of boxes - high end wines, inexpensive wines, North Coast-Mendo wines, Napa wines, Central Coast wines, Central Valley wines, French wines, Chilean wines. Whew.

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My thanks to all of these experts for their immense knowledge of the field. May there be more opportunities to share what they know with all of you.

My thanks also go out to both Kristen and senior editor Courtney Schiessl Magrini, who ably helped get this across the finish line in good shape.

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Some goodies that had to be left on the cutting room floor and didn't make it in to the article, due to limited space:

• Bordeaux is expecting 300 conversions to organic this year, according to sources in the Gironde

• Chateau Pontet-Canet was able to promote ALL of its grapes to its first wine and completed eliminated its second wine, thanks to the quality improvement it saw from converting to biodynamics. The farming change also put its scores up there with First Growths. The estimated payoff is millions of dollars.

Sonoma is B A C K | A Day of Tastings for Slow Wine Guide

On the road for Slow Wine Guide 2022, I ventured into the lush agricultural splendor that is Sonoma to visit wineries that, due to the pandemic, we were not able visit in person for tastings last year. 

While the pandemic has made us all shyer about traipsing about in wine country and socializing, it should also make us more appreciative of what we do have. And what we locals have is a gold mine. As I visited Sonoma wineries this year, I was struck by the throngs of people in downtown Sonoma. Summer was happening and summer seemed sort of like a trump card, capable of overriding (at least temporarily) the accretion of cares and woes. 

One winery that I had particularly missed last year was Amapola Creek, formerly owned by Richard Arrowood, which he sold to his Moon Mountain neighbor Brion Wise (of B. Wise Vineyards). It was a huge year of change at the winery.

Arrowood is continuing to make the wines during a transitional period, training the new team on his practices. Committed to organics, under his long time association with organic viticulturist Phil Coturri, I was curious about the vineyards' certification future, but was told that the organic practices and certification are continuing. 

The tasting setup at Amapola Creek

The wines here are always so exquisite. Though it is mostly famous for reds, I've been a huge fan of the Chardonnay as well which comes from one of the few Russian River growers who is organic. 

The former tasting room director retired, but his role has been ably filled by young talent, Daniel Caresio, who, charmingly, came to Sonoma State to play baseball and ended up getting a degree in wine. Daniel was well trained by his predecessor.

The Wise's, whose fortune comes from fossil fuels, are huge fans of African art and have changed up the tasting room to showcase some of their collection. From Moon Mountain

View of the terrain on the road to Amapola Creek

From Moon Mountain I traveled north to Suzanne Farver's new vineyard (and forthcoming wine label) in the Petaluma Gap–Panther Ridge Vineyards. While her wines have not yet released, I wanted to see the site and get a feeling for the place. 

A former director of the Aspen Art Museum, she was also deeply engaged in the policy side of sustainability–she is vice chair of the board of the change-making Presidio Graduate School–which grants green MBAs–before turning her attention to a hands on transformation of a giant field of thistle and milkweed which is now, after seven years, a respectable biodynamic vineyard (certified organic). Helping her are consultants Philippe Coderey and Nathalie Winkler.

Farver too, is an art collector and displays her collection in her surroundings. She currently sells grapes to a number of wineries. 

Suzanne Farver of Panther Ridge in Petaluma Gap

Driving south towards the town of Sonoma, I passed by Green String Farms, purveyors of amazing produce. They, of course, are Alice Waters' and Chez Panisse's secret weapon, supplying a lot of the beautiful veggies that go into Chez Panisse's meals. You have to love a place where cage free chickens means the chickens roam around the produce store. Quel charmant. 

Next stop: downtown Sonoma, which was teaming with tourists–HURRAY–where I visited Bedrock's Hooker House down an alley off the town square. Bedrock's move to have a tasting room here was inspired by the connection between the Hooker House and their Glen Ellen vineyard, which was also owned by this historic figure in the 1850s onward. 

Bedrock is one of Sonoma's true treasures. In a town where there are so many mediocre wineries that drown out the best (the same goes for Napa, too), I am always amazed by the incredible quality and beauty of certain wineries, including Bedrock, and the mysterious magic that helps people find the wineries like Bedrock. 

Tasting at Bedrock

While I usually stick to tasting their reds, which they are better known for, this year, I finally branched out into their incredible whites. Don't miss these. (Note: these are "sustainably" farmed, not organically. Wines for Slow Wine Guide do not have to be organically grown but may not be grown with herbicide). This wine was a great discovery. (And it's very affordable, to boot).

While Bedrock's well known for its own estate wine, a lot of the fun comes from the incredible variety offered by various vineyards it sources from. One that it now owns is Evangelho in Antioch, which was farmed for decades by Frank Evangelho. I got fired up about learning more about these vines and visited the historic Antioch vines–growing in pure sand–the following week just for fun.

The inscription says "Sand and Wind and Love" in Portuguese.

Next up was Winery Sixteen 600, which weathered the pandemic storm thanks to the hardworking Coturri family's stepped up efforts to keep the business on its feet. Their homey, downtown Sonoma Tasting House, just a few blocks off the Plaza, expanded to provide a new private tasting room–with a turntable no less. 

They launched a new canned rosé wine, which I quite liked, as it was just a tiny bit sweet which sort of goes with the canned experience somehow. This wine may also win in the underground Olympics in the category of "how low input/low intervention can you go" in the vineyard. This wine comes from the Canard Family Farm vineyard from a vineyard that is organically farmed (not certified) and is own rooted, no till, and dry farmed. 

Sam Coturri suggested I try their Syrah, which I have not written about in past years, and to my surprise and delight, this was a very big Wow. I'm also a huge fan of their collaboration with Rhone superstar winemaker Philippe Cambie, which is a label called A Deux Tetes. Their first Grenaches released this year. You will want to try these. And their rosé which I'd say is a Cru rosé. 

Beautiful new labels adorn the newly released
Grenache wines from A Deux Tetes

Then it was on to a meal. Without lunch, it was time for a real dinner, and who could resist open air, sidewalk dining at The Girl and the Fig where one can still get a steak and frites. 

Sonoma's downtown has so much to offer. I wandered across to the classic movie theater where the Anthony Bourdain movie was just opening and sat down to see the show: Roadrunner. 

After our pandemic year, it was good to get out. There is so much delight in life. Better grab it here and now.

Kamen's wine shrine

Napa is B A C K | On the Road for Slow Wine Guide 2022

With fires, floods and climate change dominating the headlines, one can lose sight of just how wonderful we have it in Northern California with beckoning wine country destinations within easy reach. I was reminded of this in recent weeks as I traveled in Sonoma and Napa, visiting wineries that will be included in Slow Wine Guide 2022. Some were wineries I had covered before, and a few were new to me, or had changed ownership and were run by fresh, new talent. 

Both Napa and Sonoma were hopping: restaurants were full, sidewalks were busy, and there was an air of delight as people celebrated the reopening of beloved places. 

On a different visit, I spent a late lunch in mid afternoon in Yountville, at Bistro Jeanty, where I met couples from Pasadena, and San Fernando Valley enjoying weekend getaways, a welcome respite from raising kids at home during confining times. The weather was glorious. And so were the wines. 

Wine country has a great big Welcome Back vibe now. 

Tasting through the current releases of Oakville Ranch with winemaker Jennifer Rue.

This site always has so much to offer. I always recommend a tour to Oakville Ranch for those who have never been. It's tucked away high above the valley and has spectacular views. Each tasting is a private one. And you get a personal vineyard tour. Hard to beat.

Jennifer's meticulous notes on each and every wine in each and every vintage are very impressive.

In Oakville, Napa Wine Co.'s new tasting room makeover feels like a natural now, showcasing the heritage of the Hoxseys and the rest of the descendants of the Pelissa family, who are on their 119th harvest this year. Their portfolio of three brands is amazing, as are their vineyards, some of which are adjacent to Opus One and To Kalon

Their Elizabeth Rose is the only value brand in Napa that I know of, and one can shop there for quality wines at affordable, everyday wine prices. Their Oakville Winery wines are also a good choice. The Ghost Block wines represent their top of the line parcels in Yountville and Oakville. 

The photos are all real people–no models here.

Yes that is a tractor tire chandelier. And it works. The winery
wanted to let its brand tell the story of the family as farmers first.
They are the largest growers of organic grapes in Napa.

It is a pleasure to visit the new vintages at Grgich Hills Estate each year. It's my fourth year? Always a delight. Although the winery sent wine samples last year–due to the pandemic, Slow Wine Guide had to ask 2021 guide participants to send wine samples instead of visiting on site, as is the usual practice–it was so much nicer to visit in person and taste them in the outdoor patio area with a helpful and well informed host.

The 2018 Paris Tasting Chardonnay, a Napa classic

Grgich's top reds are also classics. These two are sourced from very special, historic sites. The Cab comes from the special block planted in 1959 of an old BV clone; the Zin comes from a vineyard with 100 year old vines. These are the kinds of things that make Napa so special.

Then it was on to Stony Hill on Spring Mountain, an area where fire hit hard in 2020, but transformation springs anew. 

I had the pleasure of visiting Stony Hill last in 2010 when its founders, the McCrea family were still managing it. Like many, I was amazed by the incredible Spring Mountain site, the views across the valley and being hosted by Mrs. McCrea herself. The Chardonnays already enjoyed a reputation as the leading expression from Napa for the variety. Thus, I like many others, wondered what would happen next when it was sold to the McCrea's good friends, Ted and Laddie Hall, which kept it out of corporate orbits. 

The Halls, long time organic champions, installed a new winery on the site and worked with Garrett Buckland to convert the vineyards to organic certification. Stephen Vivier, who also made Chardonnay at HdV, was brought in to make the wines. 

In 2021, the estate is going through big changes. 

Additional acreage is being planted and only choice blocks of
Chardonnay and Gewurztraminer are being preserved.
New plantings include Malbec and Gamay Noir.

After the fires and the pandemic struck, the Halls decided to pull back–Ted Hall had already experienced the horrors of the Nuns Fire and its destructive path in the Mayacamas and the 2020 fire came perilously close to Stony Hill. He sold Stony Hill in December to Gaylon Lawrence Jr.'s team, again keeping the estate in good hands. Demeine has assembled a blue chip portfolio of many of Napa's classic estates, putting Stony Hill in very good company. However, the wines are no longer available for sale by the bottle unless you are on their allocation list. 

Stony Hill winemaker Jaime Motley and estate director Laurie Taboulet

Taboulet, a graduate of Kedge Wine Business school in Bordeaux, gave me a vineyard tour, showing me the extensive new plantings and replanting underway at the estate. 

She and Motley became friends when both worked in Sonoma, where Jaime had her own label, and worked as assistant winemaker to Pax Mahle. 

The hot dusty hillsides are still covered with trees but new vineyard sections have been established in and among them on lower and upper parcels. 

The new team is pivoting from its classic whites to a much more diversified portfolio, branching out from Cabernet Sauvignon (Stony Hill had about 5 acres but will now have more) and a bit of Cabernet Franc for blending and now venturing into new varieties like Malbec and Gamay to make Touraine-inspired blends in years to come.

Proprietor Mark Neal, his daughter Jessica Neal, and winemaker Jordan Stanley

The last winery of the day was Neal Family Vineyards on Howell Mountain, where Mark Neal was ebullient after his new wedding. The long time organic vineyard expert, who has converted more vines in Napa to organic than any other vineyardist, was elated to be doing more talks online, buoyed perhaps by his new wife, who does talks for women's empowerment. She's currently training for an Ironman. 

Neal's wines are always a find. 

Neal also is prepared for fire season, housing a fire truck on his Howell Mountain property. 

It was also great to meet his daughter, Jessica Neal, who is now the sales and marketing director.