WINERY


The winery reflects our commitment to excellence. All the equipment is state of the art, a perfect blend between tradition and modern advancements.

Located in the center of our vineyard with a 360 degree view of the estate, our winery is small but efficient. We have a total of 20 tanks in the winery, allowing us the freedom and time to ferment the fruit from each block of our vineyard separately. For example, comparing Syrah from our North-facing McVey block to our Syrah East-facing Entry A block, we find they have uniquely different characteristics. Separating these fermentations allows us to use a more creative approach to making the perfect blends.

At harvest, the grapes are manually sorted on our crush pad to eliminate leaves, stems, unripe clusters, and dry berries. The red varieties are 100% de-stemmed and carried to the tank via a conveyor belt. Small tanks are used to keep each lot separated throughout vinification. A thermostat is used on each tank to maintain the perfect temperature. The cold control is used for pre-maceration to develop more fruit characteristics, the hot for fermentation, and post-maceration to obtain elegant and stable tannins.

The white varieties are given a light pressing. The juice is then transferred to a stainless steel tank to allow the sediment to drop. Primary and malolactic (if needed) fermentation takes place in the French oak barrels.

CAVES


As of 2016, we finally completed a long but exciting project...underground caves. By having caves, we no longer need to use outside energy (ie:air conditioning) to keep the temperature cool and the humidity just right. In the caves, the temperature is consistently 58 – 60 F and the humidity is always at 75% - 80%. Also, air conditioning dries out the air which results in evaporation and loss of wine. Therefore, by no longer using it, we have less evaporation and more wine. Lastly, we will be able to contain a more stable alcohol percentage with our wines as before it would increase .2-.3% due to the evaporation.

In terms of aging, we use first and foremost French oak. Due to its origin and texture, it does not require the same toasting as other oak. Stephan prefers a long, soft, and deep toast on the barrels, allowing for the fruit and wine characteristics to come through. This provides rich, soft and stable tannins, and subtle vanilla and toast characteristics to the wines. Our barrels come from a variety of master coopers providing a range of barrel profiles which Stephan uses to create subtle and balanced blends. Stephan, for several years now, has worked with these professionals to obtain his ideal combination of barrels from which to create his wines.

On top of aging in oak, we have also introduced some clay and cement to some of our Rhône blends. The amphora (clay), we believe, keeps more of the primary aspect, aromas, and freshness. The concrete limits the micro-oxygenation which also keeps more vibrancy, freshness, and authentic varietal aromas. Overall, the blend of oak, concrete, and clay will bring a touch more complexity to our blends.

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