Winemaking
Process and Technique
Winemaking decisions and styles are dictated by the vineyard sites, but there are steps and processes that we do because we believe in their importance in helping us achieve a proper representation of these sites. Here are some of those steps.
Yeast
We allow our wines to ferment with natural (or wild) yeasts rather than adding a single freeze-dried selection bought from a lab.
Yield
Low yields take the place of enzymes and chemical additions.
Sorting
Meticulous farming practices prevail over a magic sorting table.
Stems
We believe in the inclusion of stems during primary fermentation on certain varieties because that's how the most authentic wines we have had from these varieties were made.
Balance
Pump-overs and punch-downs are done manually (if at all) and are designed to extract a balance of tannins and fruit.
Truth
Most importantly, in order to keep each varietal as true to itself as possible, we pride ourselves in handling each and every variety of grapes we work with completely differently from fermentation to bottling.
Barrels
Our white wines are fermented and raised in a combination of concrete, stainless steel and old neutral French oak barrels. While we try not to lavish the whites with new oak, it isn't uncommon for us to have one or two new barrels in the mix.
Skins
We ferment a few of our white varieties on their skins — a natural, ancient method called maceration peliculaire that adds depth, tannin richness and texture.
Stability
We never inoculate for secondary fermentation, nor do we block secondary fermentations in our white wines, they seem to find their own way of stabilizing themselves naturally.