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CO VER S T OR Y When it's time to press, Jeffrey said he lifts the barrels up with a forklift, opens the hatch to drain the free run and then pulls out the fruit with a small rake designed to pass through the Baron barrel hatch. "The way I view it is with this process you're obviously exposing the must and the wine earlier in the process," Jeffrey said. "You're seeing new oak before there's any alcohol. It also is the new oak being exposed to the heat of fermentation." While the method has been growing in popularity, many winemakers said it's best used only for wines that can match the oak. Bob Levy, director of winegrowing for Harlan Estate in Oakville, Calif., said the method has found a use for Harlan's Bond Estates label. "We feel that in certain cases it offers an Extracting fruit from barrels after fermentation is complete can be as tedious as loading the barrels. Above, a sump with a screen is used to separate the free-run wine from whole berries. proceeding due to the gas coming out of the bunghole. As that slows down, fermentation is obviously ending." Jeffrey added that he monitors for sulfides with his nose. After a few weeks he pulls samples for tasting to make a judgment on pressing. opportunity to allow very gentle extraction for a very powerful and concentrated wine, when necessary, which is to say we do not feel it serves a universal purpose for all fermentations. It is yet another 'tool' we choose to use in those cases where we feel it is appropriate." Smaller, more selective fermentations Austin Peterson, winemaker at the pre- mium Ovid winery situated atop a peak "We feel that in certain cases it offers an opportunity to allow very gentle extraction for a very powerful and concentrated wine.... It is yet another tool we choose to use in those cases we feel it is appropriate." —Bob Levy, director of winegrowing, Harlan Estate Mel_Knox_Feb11.qxp 12/13/10 12:55 PM Page 1 east of St. Helena, Calif., employs barrel fermentation for a small portion of the winery's estate vines. He said the beauty of barrel fermentation is that it allows him to pick row-by-row, ensuring optimal ripeness. He said he has also been able to identify certain areas of a vineyard that 26 Wines & Vines FeBRUARY 2012