Notes from the Winery

Upon arrival at the winery, hand-picked fruit is destemmed without crushing and elevated into small open fermenters. Fruit remains un-inoculated for 2-3 days and when fermentation is observed, a cultured yeast is added. Depending on the season, a percentage of fruit may be left as whole bunches and fermented separately to the destemmed fruit and blended back into the finished wine. During fermentation, must temperatures peak at around 32°C and the cap is plunged or pumped-over up to 2 times per day. 2-3 days after fermentation is complete, the must is gently pressed and transferred into French Oak barriques and puncheons (typically around 20% new, 10% second use and the remainder older) where MLF occurs before winter. The wine is racked just prior to bottling in January, approximately 10 months after harvest.