VINEYARD PRACTICES
Close spacing (1,800-2,100 per acre); vertical trellis; target 2 pounds of fruit per vine; shoot thinning; leaf-pulling in fruit zone; crop dropped when necessary; dry-farmed, sustainably grown own-rooted vines. Gophers humanely and gently chased, then harnessed to electricity-generation grid (Still working on this…). Wild Winds is on reddish, volcanic Jory soil, and Walnut Ridg
e is on Bellpine, a sedimentary soil. WINEMAKING PRACTICES
Pinot Noir hand-picked and hand-sorted; fully destemmed; minimal sulfur additions; 2-5 day pre-fermentation cold soak; clones fermented/barreled separately; indigenous yeasts used; temperature-controlled fermentation in 1 1/2-ton, open-top fermenters; 14-21 days crush to press; gentle press; punched down daily during fermentation; pumped only 2-3 times total; full malolactic fermentation; never fined or filtered; 10-36 months in mostly neutral French oak. Pinot gris fermented in stainless steel; whole cluster pressed; minimal sulfur additions; long, cool fermentation; lees stirred and then left in barrels; malolactic fermentation if and when the wine feels like it. Chardonnay, pinot blanc and sauvignon blanc barrel-fermented; whole-cluster pressed; cool fermentation; partial or no malolactic (depends on what the wines want to do); 12-14 months in neutral French oak barrels. Riesling is fermented in stainless steel; mostly whole cluster press; minimal sulfur additions; cool fermentation; no malolactic fermentation.
