Dirt

"Most of the surrounding hills on the east side are composed of Franciscan formation soils while along the west side are various outcroppings of granite, further evidence of the fault action which is moving the Point Reyes peninsula."

This is from the Tomales Bay website.

In the ongoing quest to analyze a site for vineyard development another objective is to look as the soil and the myriad of aspects dependent on soils.

Here's my preliminary list of concerns:
What is the ideal soil for growing grapes?
What native plants occur in the area?
What native plants are beneficial?
What kinds of wildflower, grasses, trees and shrubs will flourish?
Are there good soils for vegetables, fruits and herbs?
How would the soil have to be changed in order to support some of these other plants?
What can this particular terroir add to various grapes and their resultant wines?
What kinds of compost be generated?
Where should the compost be stored and how used?
What animals are valuable to the development of the vineyward and which will remain healthy in this geographic area?
Are manures valuable to grape growing?
How does one check for soil deficiencies and how ofter?
How much water is available in the soils?
How much water must be added for successful growing either naturally (rain) or artificially (watering)?
What kind of irrigation systems are there and which are the best in this situation?
If insecticides are necessary, how are they used and distributed?
What in the existing soils is detrimental to vine growth?

It should be noted that grapes are very tolerant of a variety of soils. The consensus is that the depth of the soil and whether it is well drained are more important factors. But with everyone talking about "terroir" these days, understanding the dirt may very important.

As the research continues answers to these questions will hopefully be answered.