WINEMAKING
I
look to traditional, Old World wines for techniques and inspiration,
and I work throughout the year with our grape growers to get the fruit
fully ripe. The combination of ripe grapes and traditional techniques
makes possible the round, rich texture and the complexity and depth of
flavor we look for in every wine. Within that framework lie the details
that are appropriate for each type of wine. Every wine has to be true
to the greatest tradition of its type in the world. Then, at every
step, we craft the wine so that it tastes good to us and we hope it
finds an appreciative audience.
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WHITES
White
grapes are all pressed with as little skin contact as possible to
minimize extraction of coarse, bitter tannins. To allow oxidizable
tannins that have been extracted into the juice to oxidize and settle
out, no sulfur dioxide is used until the juice has been settled and racked. White
wines are all barrel-fermented in the age and type of oak appropriate
for the grape variety. For Sauvignon Blanc we use five-year-old French oak barrels that only give up a hint of vanilla to the wine, but add a little richness and complexity without obscuring the Sauvignon varietal character. For Chardonnay we use a mix of new and used French oak barrels from Burgundian coopers. The new barrels give the complexity of toast, spice and a little smoke that the extravagantly fruited and textured old-clone fruit deserves. The wines are handled as gently as possible at
every step to eliminate oxidation detrimental to the delicacy and
longevity of the wines. We use only the minimum amounts of the fining
agents isinglass and bentonite to stabilize, sculpt and clarify the
wine before bottling.
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REDS
Red
wines are fermented primarily with naturally-occurring yeasts. Whole
clusters are included in some of the fermentations for complexity.
Extraction of flavor, color and ripe, mouth-filling tannins from the
skins is maximized by extended maceration of the skins after
fermentation. Pomace is handled gently, never pumped, to avoid
extraction of the bitter, astringent tannin fractions. The new wines
are drained by gravity to barrels, made exclusively of French oak,
immediately after pressing. The age and styles of the barrels are
matched carefully to the grape variety. Both Pinot Noir and Syrah get a
mix of used and new barrels from some of the best Burgundian coopers.
Malolactic
fermentation occurs in the barrels without inoculation in the winter.
If they need it to further round out tannins the wines
are fined with fresh egg white, the traditional fining agent, and still
the best. Clarification is by gravity only. Red wines are never
filtered.
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