Winemaking Technique

Our wines are handcrafted in small lots with little manipulation. We pick early in the morning so the grapes start off cold. We don't use any refrigeration other than the sun and the shade, and nothing is added to the must except a small amount of protective sulfur.

Fermentations are allowed to be carried out solely by native yeasts at their own pace. Each vineyard site has its own blend of yeast strains, and we believe utilizing these rather than laboratory developed yeasts is the best way to create a wine which displays true characteristics of the vineyard in which it is grown. White wines are fermented in barrel and reds in one-ton fermenters. After pressing, malolactic fermentation is allowed to occur in barrel with native strains at a slow rate.

During barrel aging the wines are not disturbed except for periodic topping and barrel tasting. Our wines age in 60 gallon barrels provided by small French coopers; white wines are in oak for about 8 months before bottling and red wines about 20 months. These techniques all combined help achieve our goal to create wines which are unique to their vineyard, varietal, and vintage.