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TECHNICAL SPOTLIGHT WINEMAKING September 2018 WINES&VINES 39 about $2 million, public filings indicate (the exact amount was not disclosed). "We made sure we got all the right equipment. From a construction perspective, we were probably very fortunate that there wasn't Napa pricing," Parker said. "I think you get a little bit more for your money up here." The savings allowed some cutting-edge equipment, including a Diemme Kappa 50 destemmer-crusher that adjusts to the quality of incoming grapes. It's the first known instal- lation in the U.S. "You can toggle the crusher to a position that allows you to crush without destemming or crush with destemming. You can also choose to destem only, without crushing, or use a chute that bypasses everything," Michaud said. It's "fairly unusual to have the ability to adjust on the fly with the fruit." A Pellenc Optimum harvester equipped with Pellenc's Selectiv technology that eliminates 99% of material other than grapes (MOG), in- cluding rachis and leaves, is used to harvest the grapes. This saves time, something Michaud has come to appreciate. "Getting the fruit here as quickly as possible to the winery does move my needle now," she said. White grapes go immediately to a Diemme Velvet 115 press that can handle up to 25 tons of destemmed fruit or 40 tons of must, though it typically handled 18 tons of white grapes and 25 tons of red must during its first season. Michaud said she likes to press off juice from the must a little early to avoid over-extraction. White juice for Seven Hills Winery goes into tall and skinny 5,000-gallon fermenters that are fully jacketed. Red grapes go into squat and square LaGarde tanks for seven to 21 days. The red tanks are also fully jacketed, including on the bottom. This ensures tem- perature control prior to fermentation, and a rapid transition to fermentation that limits degradation of the must. It "means we're going to cold soak for four to seven days at 50 degrees, then when we want to turn on and start fermenting, we can just get the temp (up) quickly, then cool it should we need to," Michaud said. It "feels like a game-changer for me, just because it feels so customized." When fermentation begins, the square tanks ensure even contact between the cap and must. "It's even," Michaud explained. "You want that one-to-one ratio because you want the cap to be thinner so that there's more skins and color and contact with the juice." DOUBLE CANYON KEY POINTS Vineyard blocks and winery equipment parallel one another for efficiency. Automation saves labor and facilitates more integrated wines. Large 11-acre site leaves room for expansion. Double Canyon's tilt-up walls are insulated to protect it against the temperature extremes of the Washington desert. Several configurations of the Diemme Kappa 50 destemmer-crusher give Double Canyon maximum flexibility over incoming fruit.