Harvest starts when we feel  the perfect balance of physiological ripeness, sugar, acids and tannins have been reached.  Different parts of the vineyard, and even different vines reach this point independently, necessitating several passes through the vines.  Often described as the most difficult grape, Pinot Noir requires a delicate touch.  The grapes are picked by hand in the cool of the early morning hours into 40 pound tubs.  Any less than perfect clusters are discarded in the field, and the grapes go directly through the destemmer and into  half ton fermenters.  These fermenters provide optimal surface to volume ratio, and allow us to gently punch down the cap by hand.

Fermentation with indigenous yeast usually starts within a few days.  This slower, cooler fermentation preserves the delicate, complex flavors and aromas of the grape.  When fermentation  is complete, we drain the free run juice directly into barrels.  The press wine is extracted with a small bladder press and goes  into barrels without settling.  Unimpressed by the heavy use of new oak, our French oak barrels are on average, 3 years old. We choose these barrels to impart just a hint of oak, and to not overwhelm the delicate nature of the wine. Malolactic fermentation proceeds in the barrel, and the finish signals the first racking. The wine is racked off of the heavy lees at the new year, and the free run is combined with the press wine. The wine is moved either by gravity, or pushed gently from barrel to barrel, never pumped.  Barrels are topped monthly  to prevent oxidation, the wine is racked twice more, to clarify, and bottled after 18 months.  We let the bottles rest in our cellar for 12 months before release.

Our 2006 has received quite a bit of praise, including “Beautifully balanced and stellar in every way” from Prince of Pinot. Check out the wines on the Vintages page for specifics.