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90 WINES&VINES May 2015 WINEMAKING WINE EAST At Fox Run, harvest decisions for Cabernet Franc are determined not by numbers but by a combination of berry flavors, fruit condi- tion, possible disease pressure and, of course, weather. Bell said, "I also put a huge amount of faith in what I call the 'kick the vine' test." If one grape falls from the kick, the fruit is ready; if a bunch of berries fall, the harvest should have already been done. Bell feels this indicates that the vine is no longer con- tributing ripeness from photosynthesis and should be harvested. Number-wise, the aver- age sugar level for the past few years has been 19°-22° Brix. However, Bell noted, "Flavor ripeness and sugar ripeness are pretty much uncoupled here in the Finger Lakes. We measure the numbers but don't decide by them." For him, keeping grapes hanging is not part of the harvest equation. Once ready, the grapes are machine-picked and crushed without stems; no pre-fermenta- tion maceration is employed. Bell believes that alcohol-derived tannins are most important, also providing a deeper color for the wine. His yeast for Cabernet Franc (and all other red varieties, except Pinot Noir) is Lallemand ICV- GRE, a Rhone isolate. "I want a pretty fast, hot fermentation; we're not looking to limit extrac- tion," he said. "We have no problem with maxi- mizing our tannin extraction, which is typical of a cool-climate region." He skin ferments almost to dryness, wanting the additional tan- nin character of the seeds, and then presses to release the remaining sugar embedded in the skins and pectin to finish fermentation. Bell wants early malolactic fermentation and inoculates for ML at completion of the alcoholic fermentation, no later than Thanks- giving. He calls his methods "micro-wrangling" that capture the "good guys" and lets go of the "bad guys" such as Brettanomyces and lacto- bacillus bacteria. "Overall," he said, "we are trying to make a wine that doesn't show the influence of microbes." There is no post-fermentation maceration, and the wine is pressed into tanks for one or two days, followed by pumping, without any filtration, directly into barrels. Bell prefers non-aggressive tannins and oak that is notice- able only in the background. He accomplishes this by not "throwing a lot of oak" at the wine. Bell uses primarily American oak, which was used originally for barrel-fermenting Chardon- nay. He cited the great difference in cost com- pared to French oak, as well as the vastly improved quality to be currently found in American cooperage. He prefers American bar- rels from Nadalie and, when possible, specifies Virginia-sourced wood. Cabernet Franc, on average, spends about one year in barrel. It is then pumped, unfil- tered, back into tanks, from which numerous blending and fining trials take place. "What drives our winemaking here is sensory evalu- ation," Bell said. His team efforts include as- sistant winemaker Sarah Gummoe and Lindsey Van Keuren. Bell sometimes blends in Cabernet Sauvignon or Merlot, or a combination of both, not to exceed 10%. Bell's winemaking team looks for red vinifera wines to have good aro- matics, followed by palate structure, and he feels that Cabernet Franc is particularly linear. "It has no big rise in flavors of the mid-palate. The flavors don't have a spike, they're just there from start to finish," he said. Once final decisions are made, the wine undergoes a nominal sterile filtration, employ- Wine Packaging by Packaging Designed & Manufactured by a Wine Maker, for a Wine Maker 4138 Vineyard Road Stewartstown, PA 17363 Tel: 800-292-3370 Fax: 717-993-9460 Phone: 717-993-2431 Naylor Wine Cellars is a lifetime member of Wine America, Pennsylvania Wine Assoc, Ohio Wine Producers and NY Wine & Grape Foundation WPN is a premier supplier to over 2,000 wineries and wine & spirits shops. Our auto bottom carriers & shippers are the perfect sturdy solution for your retail & online sales! www.NaylorPackaging.com Features & Benefits - Extra sturdy construction for the most protection - Quick & easy to pack & set up - Folds to conform to many different bottles - Trademarked design - Bio-degradable - Quick delivery from our stock - Lies flat for easy storage - Takes up half the space of comparative packages - Tested & approved by UPS and Federal Express as a preferred method of shipping bottles - Custom imprinting and packaging is available to display your logo, enhancing your brand image Fox Run Cabernet Franc is destemmed prior to inoculation with Lallemand's ICV-GRE yeast.