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WINEMAKING they came back on Monday and this was all filled in," Baker said while standing in the middle of the tasting area. That cave-in was one of two experien- ced by the excavation crew, who also encountered a variety of different soils to work with and a section of solid bedrock that had to be blasted with dynamite. The cave walls are still marked with the white stains of Xypex as the waterproofing material heals and sets like a skin over the soil. Baker said that after completing the cave there were some initial mildew problems, but those have been resolved by keeping the cave dry and leaving the lights on. Heating in the tasting area is provided through a radiant system in the floor. On the far side of the cave, Baker has a private tasting area that he designed himself. This small room is framed with rough-hewn wooden timbers. The timbers are salvaged first-growth redwood from the 1880s. Many of the winery's library vintages are stored in redwood cabinets that ring the room and circle an intimate tasting table. Baker said he uses the room for client education and special tastings. "We're very focused on the wine experience here," he said. "I don't think there's an inch of ground here we didn't work on." —Jeremy Baker, president and COO, Thomas George Estates Aging and bottling Russi said he uses a variety of French cooperage for aging, but less than half of the barrels are new for the Pinot Noir and even less new oak for the Chardonnay. "The idea is to express what's in the vineyard," Russi said. Russi added that he's using more puncheons, eight of the larger barrels from eight different cooperages, and he's encouraged by the results. He said the puncheons provide a little more structure to the wine and add an interesting element to the finished product. About every three weeks, Russi said he stirs the lees on the red barrels until around February. The wine ages on lees right up until bottling unless Russi detects any reductive flavors in a barrel. Prior to bottling, Russi has the red barrels moved over to the cellar, where the workers rack the wine to tanks. COMPLETE CRUSHPAD SYSTEMS LT™ & LT™ 2+2 (MOG Separators) Fruit Receiving Systems Bin Dumpers Sorting Tables Belt Conveyors Screw Conveyors Vibratory Conveyors Presses Destemmers & Peristaltic Pumps Destemmers, Mohno Pumps & Crush Rollers USED BY THE FINEST WINERIES TO ACHIEVE THE BEST RESULTS Call Now to Schedule Design Appointments! 1650 Almar Parkway Santa Rosa, California 95403 P 707 573 3141 • F 707 573 3140 www.pnlspecialties.com CA Contractor's #803431, OR Contractor's #180330 WA Contractor's #PLSPELS923BZ 707-766-8950 redwoodrefrig.com SOLUTIONS • EXPERTISE • QUALITY • SATISFACTION 54 Wines & Vines FeBRUARY 2012 TECHNICAL REVIEW Select Mobile Bottlers provides bottling service at the winery. Prior to bottling the reds, all barrel care, including topping, is conducted in the cave, which is equipped with water hoses and drains. Now that all the construction dust has RWRefrigB&WAd.R2.10506.qxd 3/26/07 6:54 PM Page 1 settled, Baker said the next focus at the winery would be to bolster the winery's special events. The estate already features three picnic areas and four guesthouses— all remodeled during the renovations. Baker said he is permitted to host a couple dozen events per year, and he'd like to reach that permit soon. He's also planning to install a commercial kitchen, noting his background in the restaurant industry. Baker said that as the manager of the construction of the winery and cave he had to confront several challenges of working with an older property and the surprises that can come with cave excavation. "I think that was our biggest challenge. You got what you got, and you had to make it work," he said. Despite the challenges, Baker said ultimately that the project has been a satisfying experience in realizing the family dream of a premium Russian River Valley winery. "Retrofitting the winery was really creative and a lot of fun." R R edwood efrigeration Industrial/Commercial Services Winery Systems • Cold Storage • Process Cooling