Issue link: http://winesandvines.uberflip.com/i/197145
TECHNICAL REVIEW WINEMAKING at 2,000 cases per year), but Rodgers designed the space to accommodate up to 10,000 cases per year. A train brought steel ribs for the cave from North Carolina to California, and during construction, a cement plant was set up in front of the caves. "When you cut that wall," Rodgers says, "you want to put concrete on it almost immediately—like within 10 minutes." Rodgers says that on paper building a cave is cheaper than a standalone building. In reality it proved more expensive, but he is pleased with the outcome. A wine lab and an 1,800-square-foot apartment are built into the cave above the barrel-storage area. Sorting and natural fermentations Clos de la Tech uses whole clusters for Pinot Noir fermentation, but the handsorting process is rigorous nonetheless. "The sort is two times more labor intensive than the pick," Rodgers says, explaining that all the leaves must come out. Additionally, the winemaker adheres to 100% native fermentation. Yeast strains are a part of the vineyard ecosystem, he says. "If you want to express terroir, you have to use native yeasts. "I haven't had a bad fermentation since 1998; 15 years straight, 40 fermentations a year, without a bad fermentation with native yeast." More inventions Early on Rodgers purchased tanks from traditional wine industry vendors, but eventually he designed his own 54-inchdiameter model and had it fabricated by T&C Stainless of Mt. Vernon, Mo. Two sets of pipes line either side of the cave, which is equipped with 56 utility stations: One pipe delivers cool water to the jacketed stainless steel tanks used during day cold soaks; the other conveys Clemens GmbH helped TJ Rodgers create an over-the-row tractor guided by cables that can handle the steep vertical and horizontal slopes at the Domaine Lois Louise vineyard. Foot crushing: A modern twist on an old recipe A s with gravity-flow winemaking and natural fermentation, the wine on day two, day three, etc." A full week can yield full TJ Rodgers adheres to traditional methods when it comes tannin extraction. to crushing grapes for his brand Clos de la Tech, and this includes foot crushing. "Over the years I started to understand there is a genius to it," Rodgers tells Wines & Vines of how he adopted the process for his first vintage. "When you do foot crushing, you never crush all the grapes…and the result is the (bitter) tannin gets left behind in the seeds." A bike with legs As more vineyard blocks reach full maturity, and production at Clos de la Tech increases, the number of tanks requiring foot crushing grows accordingly, and the volume of footwork is starting to resemble a marathon. "This year I'm making a set of prosthetic limbs, fake legs, something like a bicycle," Rodgers says. "And you'll be able An idea with staying power to lower it down on a machine and be able to do foot crushing More than 15 years later, Clos de la Tech co-owner Valeta Rodgers without having Valeta be in the tanks all the time." still dons rubber boots and a wetsuit every fall and spends weeks stomping Pinot Noir during crush and cold soak. "When Valeta's foot crushing, I watch the color and tannins Rodgers hopes to have the contraption ready for use this year or next. "It's kind of turning winemaking around, saying: I want a modern view of making wine, but I want to make it the old- build up in the wine," winemaker TJ Rodgers says. "Over the fashioned way." years we've gotten a profile of how much color should be in K.L. 30 W in e s & V i ne s Nov e m b e r 20 13