SHOP
SHOP
Direct from Barrel
What does that really mean?
This means that the wine was moved from the barrel, directly into the bottle, via gravity, without any filtering, pumping, adjustments, or anything! Furthermore, it was bottled and corked by hand. This is wine in the purest sense. As such, it has risks, as do the better experiences in life, that is, if you have lived life…
How these barrels came about:
Every person making wine comes across individual barrels within their cellar that are unique. It might be due to the fermentation style, the barrel’s cooper, the way the wine was introduced into the barrel or various other reasons. Nonetheless these individual barrels have personality; some of which are lovely, while other, quite obnoxious.
I decided to bottle up four different barrels this vintage to show off what happens in the cellar. These four barrels are so interestingly unique, that I would recommend tasting them side-by-side. and all at the same time. Throw a tasting, a serious tasting. Invite those who you love and who are ALSO interested in wine and not just getting inebriated on your dime. This is a great educational and hopefully an enlightening experience.
The Barrels:
DTB – Dirty to Barrel
This is a winemaking technique where the wine is placed into the barrel while it is still undergoing primary fermentation. This results in a smoother, or plush mouthfeel, as if you fermented in a wooded fermenter, which you did, partially. Additional work is keeping that barrel topped up religiously on a tighter schedule than usual to mitigate bacterial risk. Not only does using this technique offer up a more luxurious mouthfeel as well as seemingly more fruit. You taste it and then let me know your thoughts.
LSB – Lonely Shallow Bin
This was a single fermentation which took place in a hidden picking bin as we ran out of fermentation vessels in 2022 because all the grapes seemed to come in at the same time, so we used a picking bin to hold the overflow. This bin was only about two feet in depth with sides approaching four feet. Problem was that this bin was buried outside behind the taller vessels and was overlooked. It might have received one punch down every few days, ergo minimal extraction due to mechanical means, but plenty of extraction due to enzymatic means. A fruit bomb of a wine, but you tell me.
NFS – Not For Sale
A perfect barrel found by Nicole Simoni during topping. Also known as Nicole’s Fine Selection. This happens now and then: you remove the bung to check the level when an intoxicating aroma slowly emerges. This gets your attention, so before you top off the barrel you pull a sample to take home to try with dinner. If it works with a meal and evokes positive comments from those “not in the know” then it is, by definition, a winner!
943 – Nine Forty-Three
One single clone, named “943” from a once used barrel. Seems like straightforward logic but not such a simple wine! This Pinot noir cutting is allegedly from the Cote d’Or in Burgundy. The clusters are long and gangly, and the berries are small, unlike the tight, tiny, fist-sized cluster of most Pinot noir cuttings. This results in intense color and big, almost massive flavors. A big bomber of a Pinot to say the least. No shrinking violet here!
Direct from Barrel
What does that really mean?
This means that the wine was moved from the barrel, directly into the bottle, via gravity, without any filtering, pumping, adjustments, or anything! Furthermore, it was bottled and corked by hand. This is wine in the purest sense. As such, it has risks, as do the better experiences in life, that is, if you have lived life…
How these barrels came about:
Every person making wine comes across individual barrels within their cellar that are unique. It might be due to the fermentation style, the barrel’s cooper, the way the wine was introduced into the barrel or various other reasons. Nonetheless these individual barrels have personality; some of which are lovely, while other, quite obnoxious.
I decided to bottle up four different barrels this vintage to show off what happens in the cellar. These four barrels are so interestingly unique, that I would recommend tasting them side-by-side. and all at the same time. Throw a tasting, a serious tasting. Invite those who you love and who are ALSO interested in wine and not just getting inebriated on your dime. This is a great educational and hopefully an enlightening experience.
The Barrels:
DTB – Dirty to Barrel
This is a winemaking technique where the wine is placed into the barrel while it is still undergoing primary fermentation. This results in a smoother, or plush mouthfeel, as if you fermented in a wooded fermenter, which you did, partially. Additional work is keeping that barrel topped up religiously on a tighter schedule than usual to mitigate bacterial risk. Not only does using this technique offer up a more luxurious mouthfeel as well as seemingly more fruit. You taste it and then let me know your thoughts.
LSB – Lonely Shallow Bin
This was a single fermentation which took place in a hidden picking bin as we ran out of fermentation vessels in 2022 because all the grapes seemed to come in at the same time, so we used a picking bin to hold the overflow. This bin was only about two feet in depth with sides approaching four feet. Problem was that this bin was buried outside behind the taller vessels and was overlooked. It might have received one punch down every few days, ergo minimal extraction due to mechanical means, but plenty of extraction due to enzymatic means. A fruit bomb of a wine, but you tell me.
NFS – Not For Sale
A perfect barrel found by Nicole Simoni during topping. Also known as Nicole’s Fine Selection. This happens now and then: you remove the bung to check the level when an intoxicating aroma slowly emerges. This gets your attention, so before you top off the barrel you pull a sample to take home to try with dinner. If it works with a meal and evokes positive comments from those “not in the know” then it is, by definition, a winner!
943 – Nine Forty-Three
One single clone, named “943” from a once used barrel. Seems like straightforward logic but not such a simple wine! This Pinot noir cutting is allegedly from the Cote d’Or in Burgundy. The clusters are long and gangly, and the berries are small, unlike the tight, tiny, fist-sized cluster of most Pinot noir cuttings. This results in intense color and big, almost massive flavors. A big bomber of a Pinot to say the least. No shrinking violet here!
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