How much Whole Cluster?
Whole cluster fermentation means the grapes don’t go through a crusher-destemmer, rather we put the grapes in the tank whole, and unprocessed. This results in a slower fermentation, the addition of stem tannins to the mix.
Carignane = 100% every vintage
Gamay Noir = 33-100%
Pinot Noir = 10-20%
Zinfandel = 0% every vintage
What’s the deal with sulfites?
Sulfites are added to wine in small quantities (10-50 mg/L) in wine in order to slow the biological and chemical reactions which cause wine to oxidize and turn to vinegar.
A small subset of the population has sensitivity to sulfur in processed foods (around 1% of the general population). However the quantities found in wine are substantially lower than common processed foods.
So the next time you’re looking to blame your red wine headache on sulfites…
As you can see, commercial wines contains orders of magnitude less sulfites than common foods like French fries and dried fruit
Do you filter your wines?
Only our Rose receives filtration. Our red wines are always unfined and unfiltered.
How is this possible?
Longer elevage (aging in barrels/puncheons for 18-24 months), and a high attention to detail while racking. Guaranteed not to contain isinglass (fish gelatin, a fining agent), egg whites, copper sulfate, velcorin (DMDC, a beverage sterilant), enzymes, or any other strange but approved wine additives.
What are those crystals on the bottom of the bottle?
Tartrates, a precipitate of tartaric acid which is naturally found in the grapes and wine. Bottles can be decanted if excessive amounts of tartrates are found at the bottom of the bottle.
Why no capsules?
Historically, lead capsules were used to keep pests from chewing through corks in the cellar. In 1996 lead was banned due to health concerns, and replaced with tin and plastic capsules.
Today, we view capsules as an unnecessary decoration that will ultimately add to landfill and the end-cost of the wine. When was the last time you heard of anyone seeing cork weevels? Right?
Occasionally we release special editions of wines with soft, food grade wax, for auctions and events.
Which wines should i decant?
At this time the only wine we recommend decanting is the 2015 Twin Hills Pinot Noir. This wine was only racked once, and in hindsight probably should have been racked twice. All our other red wines should be ready to pop and pour!